Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 258: Tencent's Money is Truly Appealing

Ever since Mei Fang got C Site up and running, he's been receiving all sorts of funding proposals, including from the rapidly rising e-commerce giant Alibaba. However, Mei Fang had no intention of sitting down with any of the other companies; he was only waiting for Tencent to extend its funding invitation.

Mei Fang's understanding of the world of capitalists was quite limited. He had to rely on his meager experience from his previous life to make decisions. Tencent was famously generous and laid-back, which left Mei Fang with a positive impression of them.

The day-to-day operations of Lin Xi Technology were usually handled by Mei Yue. Although she had accomplished significant things following her younger cousin, Mei Fang was only a part-time capitalist, as his primary "role" was still being a high school student. Most decisions outside of work had to be managed by Mei Yue.

To keep her job with a 20,000 yuan monthly salary, she worked tirelessly, frequently pulling all-nighters to compile financial reports and handle various financial matters. In preparation for the upcoming funding meeting, she had been working non-stop at the company office for several days.

Despite all the time and effort she had invested, the C Site's "Big Three" nearly arrived late on the day of the funding meeting, which infuriated Mei Yue. When Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi finally arrived, she dragged her younger cousin into the office and gave him an earful.

"Xiaofangzi, you do realize how important today's funding meeting is, right? You ignored offers from other investors entirely and put all your eggs in Tencent's basket, yet you're not even taking it seriously yourself! What am I supposed to say to you?"

"Sorry... Sister Yue Yue, it wasn't Ah Fang's fault. I'm the one who took too long to find the right outfit," Xia Yuan spoke up to defend Mei Fang. Mei Yue decided not to press the issue further. "Alright, alright... just get ready. I'll head to the meeting room to check the PPT and the other materials. You guys take a break; the people from Tencent should be here any minute."

Mei Fang, Lin Youxi, and Xia Yuan stayed in the boss' office to rest. Xia Yuan adjusted her appearance in the full-length mirror on the wall, while Mei Fang poured two cups of water, handing one each to Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, before getting a drink for himself. Then, he eagerly went off to explore the employees' workspace.

Since the last all-staff meeting, Mei Fang had been coming to Lin Xi Technology's office every two weeks to clock in. This was partly to meet with everyone and get an update on the development progress of Cloud Journey, and partly to ensure the company was running smoothly.

As Mei Fang walked by, one employee suddenly stood up and saluted, "Greetings, Webmaster!"

"Sit down, will you... What's the point of standing up? Just ignore me."

The girls who were fans of anime showed even more enthusiasm towards Mei Fang:

"Oh wow, it's the real-life Fangbao! It's rare to see you in the office. Could you sign something for me? I'm a huge fan of yours; I'm your number one supporter!"

"...My handwriting is pretty ugly."

"It doesn't matter. I like anything written by Fangbao!"

"I want one too! I want an autograph!"

"Give me one too!"

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"Ahem, ahem!"

Seeing Mei Fang being so popular with the female employees, Xia Yuan deliberately came over and coughed loudly a few times. The girls, sensing the situation, immediately backed off.

"The boss lady is getting jealous."

"Yes, Yuanbao is definitely jealous."

"I can hear you, you know-

Xia Yuan muttered in a playful, pouty tone, which triggered a wave of teasing laughter.

In the early stages of a startup company, some overtime work and internal competition are inevitable. Mei Fang, who had experienced hardships himself, always made sure to take care of others. He worked hard to ensure that everyone was well-compensated for their extra hours, so the company's atmosphere remained harmonious and motivated.

Before long, three Tencent executives—two men and one woman—arrived at Lin Xi Technology. The experienced and skilled Mei Yue immediately went up to greet them with handshakes and warm welcomes. After some brief introductions, Mei Fang also stepped forward to shake hands with the three executives.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet the senior members of Tencent."

As Mei Fang extended his hand, the leading woman hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said:

"I didn't expect the true mastermind behind C Site to be such a young boy. You're quite impressive... I'm Wen Qi from Tencent's CVC Strategy Department, but you can call me Carly."

"Hello, everyone!"

Xia Yuan bowed politely to the group. The three executives found this quite interesting, "Wow... it really is Yuanbao in person. I've heard your songs; you sing beautifully."

"Uh... thank you for the compliment. I still have a lot to work on."

"With Yuanbao's popularity, have you ever considered debuting as an idol?"

Xia Yuan quickly waved her hands, "No, no, writing songs is just a hobby. I still have a lot to learn."

Compared to Mei Fang's authority and Xia Yuan's influence, Lin Youxi seemed less prominent at the moment. However, when she extended her hand for introductions, they immediately recognized her:

"If I'm not mistaken, this must be the 'Young Lady' herself, right? A very graceful young woman."

"Hello."

Unlike Mei Fang's worldly-wise demeanor and Xia Yuan's vibrant energy, Lin Youxi was more reserved. She simply smiled politely and didn't engage in further small talk.

Mei Yue then led the three executives on a brief tour of Lin Xi Technology's current office setup, before heading to the meeting room. The executives' imposing presence was undeniable, but Mei Fang didn't seem intimidated, which made the three visitors quite impressed.

During their pre-meeting research, they hadn't uncovered much about Mei Fang's family background. In fact, Mei Fang had kept most of his ventures, like founding C Site and Ximilu Games, hidden from his family. No one knew where he had learned his communication skills, but he certainly had an air of maturity beyond his years.

Could it really be a natural talent?

"Well then... Now that everyone has gotten to know each other, let me give you a brief overview of Lin Xi Technology's current business operations," Mei Yue began, presenting the company's situation with seriousness. The three executives from Tencent in the audience were fully focused on the content of Mei Yue's PPT presentation, occasionally taking neat notes, and refraining from any interruptions. After Mei Yue finished, the three began asking their questions one by one.

"We're very interested in your company's development and have many questions, especially regarding the fact that the actual controller of the company is still a minor, which is quite a sensational topic in itself. But before we delve deeper, from what we understand, your company has received many funding proposals from other companies. I've heard that Mr. Mei only arranged a meeting with us. May I be so bold as to ask if that's true?"

Mei Fang smiled and nodded, "We're students, after all, and our weekend time is limited. We still have homework to do, so naturally, we chose the most valuable funding partner."

"For a high schooler, that answer seems quite fitting... But thank you for your response."

Wen Qi adjusted her glasses slightly and smiled, "Kids your age have probably played some of the games that Tencent has developed or published, but understanding games and running a company are quite different things, and I hope you understand that"

"Of course, I understand that which is why I'd like us to get straight to the point regarding the funding."

"Well... As they say, series A round funding involves various considerations, and the fact that Mr. Mei is still a high school student is both intriguing and surprising."

As Wen Qi reviewed the documents Mei Yue had prepared, she responded in a calm tone, "But business is business. More than the material you've prepared, I'm interested in hearing directly from you, Mr. Mei, about your future plans... For example, once you've secured the funding, how do you plan to expand the company and ensure C Site continues to grow?"

"Before I answer that, we first need to clarify what Lin Xi Technology, or C Site, means to me... Ms. Wen Qi, what kind of website do you think we are?"

"Personally, I see C Site as a video platform for fans of ACGN culture to interact with each other," Wen Qi replied with a smile. "Is that an accurate understanding?"

"Yes, as you said, when we talk about ACGN culture, we're essentially referring to the four key areas of ACGN: Anime, Comics, Games, and Novels," Mei Fang explained. "These four areas are the main topics discussed by C Site users."

"Based on the current situation, the most discussed part is A—that is, anime and live-action series from Japan. However, we're essentially just re-uploading content. In the future, competing for licensing in this area will be a significant expense, likely not much less than our bandwidth costs."

"Not to mention, we're up against A Site, which has nearly ten times the number of paying members as we do. Additionally, platforms like Youku, Tudou, and the recently rising iQiyi are formidable competitors. It's impossible to expect that series A round funding alone will turn our losses into profits."

"While I've expressed many concerns about licensing, these concerns are necessary for C Site. I believe your company is also aware of the financial risks associated with this investment."

Mei Fang's response left Wen Qi and the other two quite surprised.

"I didn't expect Mr. Mei to already be thinking about anime licensing issues... Actually, we have indeed received some news about licensing rights. Moreover, if C Site wants to grow bigger, it would be difficult to go public without supporting licensed anime. I was wondering how to help you understand these issues, but it seems your connections are not shallow..."

Regarding the matter of going public, Mei Fang actually had no plans for an IPO, but he wasn't in a hurry to tell these financial backers.

"And considering the current domestic situation and our predictions for the future, in terms of monetization, in my view, the 'G' in ACGN—meaning games—is the field with the best potential for generating revenue," Mei Fang added.

"So that's why you created Ximilu Games?" Wen Qi smiled. "But currently, the games your company produces seem to cater to niche markets and don't have a strong connection to the ACGN culture. There seems to be a significant disconnect. Although we see that your company is using Yuanbao and C Site's popularity to promote your new titles, the financial returns still seem modest."

"That's normal... We're doing this in our spare time while attending school, so this is about the best we can achieve."

One of the men from Tencent waved his hand, "No, don't downplay it as 'the best you can do.' I've played the games you've made, Mr. Mei, and they're really impressive."

The man gave Mei Fang a thumbs-up. Anyone who loves games would appreciate Mei Fang's courage and passion as a pioneer.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang," Mei Fang continued. "Of course, we're not just focusing on the indie games we've made. We plan to develop and publish many games. Some of them might not seem profitable right now, but in the near future, in a global market, they could generate significant revenue. Naturally, I also hope to build a good reputation... That's why we genuinely aspire to one day develop a AAA title in China."

Before Black Myth: Wukong was announced, Tencent and NetEase were the most anticipated sources of a Chinese AAA game, but with no results for a long time, Mei Fang, having lived another life, no longer expected them to create anything substantial.

If they can't create the games, we at Ximilu will. If they can't change the gaming market, we will, even if it means getting hurt in the process—we'll live brilliantly!

This was the high hope Mei Fang held for the future of Ximilu Games.

"It seems like your strategy for C Site also follows a principle of protecting your reputation... But honestly, Mr. Mei, have you never considered accepting advertisements or relaxing the requirements for registering as an official member? It took me three days to figure out the correct answers for the site's registration quiz."

"That, that won't do!"

Xia Yuan, who had been waiting for a chance to support Mei Fang, finally spoke up. "Ah Fang often tells us, 'C Site might go out of business, but it will never compromise its values.' If we go against our principles just for growth, it would be meaningless!"

Lin Youxi also chimed in, "The average quality of forum users always declines when a large number of general users join. It's inevitable. We just want to slow down that process."

"I think I now understand your company's culture..." Wen Qi nodded. "In short, you want to maintain a pure niche for the ACGN community, while also aiming to develop a globally renowned AAA title."

"However, based on this, we might need to make some adjustments to the funding we discussed earlier. Please allow me to consult with my colleagues from CVC for a moment."

As Wen Qi stepped out to make a phone call, Xia Yuan whispered to Lin Youxi, "Do you think they're planning to lower the offer at the last minute? Would Tencent really do something like that?"

"Don't worry, let's wait and see," Lin Youxi replied, remaining calm—but at the same time, she gently placed her hand on Mei Fang's leg, lightly stroking it.

"Apologies for the wait," Wen Qi said as she returned with her two colleagues and quickly took her seat.

"For this Series A round investment, we've decided to increase the funding for C Site by an additional 2 million (est. $316K), bringing the total to 12 million (est. $1.9M). In addition, we would like to offer Ximilu Games an angel investment of 5 million (est. $792K) to start with. Given that Mr. Mei's company is still in its initial incubation phase, we can also provide external staff support and some professional guidance. Of course, it's up to you whether you want to take advantage of these resources."

Wait, isn't this the complete opposite of what we expected? Could it be that they really believe in our future?

Mei Fang had initially been concerned that there might be some hidden traps in the investment contract, but after triple-checking that there were no harsh conditions, he couldn't help but express his most genuine sentiment

I have to say holding Tencent's money feels incredibly secure and satisfying.