Ch. 731..740
Life at the Top Chapter 731
Sure enough, Mr. Adams was convinced. He looked at Jasper. “What do I need to offer if you manage to do it?”
Jasper laughed and said, “You don’t need to offer anything as long as you promise to let everyone in your team take two apprentices each.”
Mr. Adams narrowed his eyes at Jasper and said coldly, “Are you trying to acquire our skills in the shortest time possible?”
“That should have been the case from the start, no?” Jasper asked mildly.
“Fine, I’ll take on the bet!” Mr. Adams harrumphed. In his opinion, he was bound to win this bet.
Seeing how Mr. Adams was so full of himself, Jasper remained unruffled.
In his past life, United Legends, which was not well-known at the time, almost went bankrupt from staking everything on a single chance to promote it. How many users were there during the open beta testing?
1.5 million!
It was precisely because of this record that the global gaming industry discovered the massive blue ocean in the gaming scene of Somerland.
At the moment, he had Terizone and Sena, the two largest internet portals. Surpassing the previous record of 500,000 could not be any easier.
What was more, Jasper was confident that the suggestions he proposed would capture the essence of domestic online games, bringing out United Legends’ traits even more!
After sending Mr. Adams away, Jasper turned around and saw the look of admiration in Terry’s eyes.
“You’re so awesome, Mr. Laine. To be honest with you, and you can laugh all you want, but I’ve been awfully tormented by these Coreanans. But when you took over the situation, you managed to fix and tame them with such efficiency.”
Jasper laughed. “It’s not time yet. When the open beta testing is released, that’s when they will bow their heads in submission.”
Terry hastened to add after hearing what he said, “Don’t mind me for saying this, Mr. Laine, but I honestly think that it was a little exaggerated when you said that the number of online users in the open beta testing would exceed two million.”
“Do you think I will lose the bet?” Jasper asked.
Terry explained hastily, “That’s not what I meant.”
Though his mouth said no, his expression said otherwise.
“I understand that you want to get the most out of these Coreanans in the shortest time possible and kick them out, Mr. Laine, but you need to do it slowly. Both techniques you used earlier today have achieved very good results.”
“Terry.” Jasper led Terry to the office and said while they walked, “You need to learn from Jack. Jack never doubts.”
Terry was slightly stunned. Thinking that Jasper was just putting on an act for no reason, he laughed dryly. “Yes, yes, I must learn from Mr. Tanner, indeed.”
Although he inwardly disagreed, what could he possibly do? After all, he was just an employee and needed to show due respect for his boss’ feelings.
Little did he know, within half an hour, Jack, who had rushed over to the company all the way from the airport, said in delight after hearing what Terry reported to him, “If that’s the case, we need to speed up the progress and get United Legends prepared for the open beta testing. I find these Coreanans an eyesore as well.”
“Mr. Tanner, don’t you think Mr. Laine is exaggerating a little too much? When the time comes, not only will he fail to place his men in the team, but he risks paying one million US dollars,” Terry said, astonished.
“Exaggeration?” Jack glanced meaningfully at Terry and continued, “You have never interacted with Mr. Laine before, so I don’t blame you. But listen, you need to get used to seeing Mr. Laine creating miracles next time. There’s nothing he says that he can’t achieve!”
Life at the Top Chapter 732
In the next few days, under Jack’s lead, Sena began publicizing and promoting United Legends.
This included the servers as well. A series of teams were rapidly formed because Jasper did not stint on using his wealth and power.
As for Mr. Adams, perhaps it was because he was hoping to earn Jasper’s one million dollars as soon as possible, he was fueled with energy. He urged the Coreanans to work overtime every day in order to make progress.
As for the promotions, Jasper asked Jack to contact Hudson.
Terizone was extremely supportive. With Jasper’s suggestions, they launched the first pop-up advertisement for all KK users.
The advertisement that popped up twice a day had brought unprecedented attention to United Legends.
Before this, the outdated game, Fated Swordsman, was the only game that domestic players knew. This was their first time being introduced to such a huge production.
With Jasper’s personal intervention, Sena released United Legends’ official website and even posted a video on it.
When the players saw the extremely cool special effects portrayed in the video and the horrific monster boss, they thought this was simply genius.
Therefore, in a very short period of time, Jasper’s viral publicity stunt produced excellent results. Almost everyone knew that the open beta testing for a domestic online game called United Legends was about to begin.
This series of actions had attracted the attention of many people in the industry, but none of them knew that a behemoth was gradually rising. They merely paid attention to Jasper using Terizone and Sena, two major internet traffic portals, to carry out his promotions.
The excellent results had left everyone completely amazed.
Even Hudson learned for the very first time that KK had such massive potential when it came to publicity.
“Say, Mr. Laine, if I can sell the pop-up window as advertisements, can you imagine how much money I’ll make every day?”
Hudson exclaimed in the video conference.
Jasper laughed. “If you do that, then KK users will start cursing you. Once or twice is fine. Do you think anyone would still want to use KK when a bunch of advertisements pop up every time they launch the program?”
Hudson sighed and said, “I was just saying. Although the Nobile KK business is developing really well, the company is still in urgent need of new profit growth points.”
“Do you think I asked you to promote Sena’s game for nothing?” Jasper said mysteriously.
Hudson’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Do you have any good ideas, Mr. Laine?”
“I plan to take Sena and Terizone’s cooperation to a much deeper level and launch a points card business,” Jasper told him his plans instead of keeping him guessing.
To date, online payment was still a fictitious concept. Even though Jasper’s reincarnation had placed him in an advantageous position, he could do nothing more than to point out that online payment was the general orientation in the future.
Jasper intended to put Sena on the market as the first listed company under JW Consortium. All of Sena’s businesses must surpass or outdo all previous businesses. They had to receive the support of capitalists as well.
“Mr. Laine, are you saying that the players will place their order to purchase the points card and we will deliver the cards?” Hudson asked with a frown.
Jasper shook his head. He knew that even though Hudson was a business prodigy, his worldview had been restricted by the timeline they were in.
“What are points cards for? They’re nothing more than a series of numbers. Why do you still need to make points cards? It’ll make things easier for the players if you just send out these serial numbers online, won’t it? It’ll also save us the cost of card production.”
Hudson smacked his forehead and said in pleasant surprise, “Yeah, in that case, this will be a win-win situation! But how will the payment be made?”
Hudson immediately noticed the key problem.
In truth, the core issue of online payment was the means of payment itself.
“This is one of the reasons why I’m here in Waterhoof City. I’m here to talk to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of Somer.” Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I need the ICBS to give us access to an online banking interface so the users can use their ICBS cards to make seamless payments that go straight to Terizone.
“I will talk to the ICBS management about this in the afternoon. Wait for my good news.”
Having said that, Jasper ended the video conference with Hudson with a smile.
ICBS was certainly going to be a hard nut to crack. Jasper needed to handle this with caution.
The best option would be to talk to ICBS’ Southeast Province branch. After all, many things would be much easier to deal with when John Jackson, the vice president of Tefa’s ICBS, was around.
Though unfortunately, the Southeast Province branch was only a tier-one branch that held no authority to work with Jasper.
The Waterhoof City branch, however, was a special tier-one branch with authority second only to the headquarters. Therefore, Jasper had no choice but to talk to the Waterhoof City branch.
Vita was already waiting at the entrance.
Amidst the greetings from the employees, Vita nodded indifferently as though he did not care.
Though when Jasper’s car arrived, a zealous smile broke out on his face immediately. He walked out of the sentry box and toward the car, even taking the initiative to open the car door.
At the sight of this, the branch employees nearby looked at this low-key black business car with curiosity. To see Mr. Layne attaching such great importance to this person, they wondered if a VIP had arrived.
Life at the Top Chapter 733
“Mr. Layne.”
Jasper got out of the car and shook hands with Vita who was grinning from ear to ear.
Vita took Jasper’s hands with a chuckle and lowered his voice to say, “I will soon be the branch president, Mr. Laine.”
Jasper was pleasantly surprised. “You got a promotion? Congratulations! You will have to buy me lunch, you know?”
Vita let out a modest smile and said, “I’m keeping a low profile. They came and talked to me earlier, so I think there won’t be a major issue. The official documents have yet to be issued, though, so I can’t disclose this to the public yet. As for lunch, sure, as long as you’re willing to give me the honor, Mr. Laine, then I can buy you lunch anytime!
“Speaking of which, I have to thank you for this.”
“Oh? Why is that so?” Jasper asked curiously.
“It’s all thanks to that plot of land previously.” Vita led Jasper into the office building.
“You wanted to talk to the city hall regarding the construction of the world’s tallest building on that plot of land, didn’t you? The branch received the news the next day itself, alerting the headquarters as well. They knew that I had gone all out to make this happen, so they issued an order of commendation straight away.”
“I heard that the head of Waterhoof City Hall even gave a call to the headquarters’ boss and told him that our branch had done a great deed that would benefit the country and the people.”
Vita said in elation.
A man of his age and status would find it extremely arduous to get promoted. After all, every level presented a massive barrier.
Though thanks to Jasper, he was able to take a big step forward effortlessly. In the future, he would remain in the vice president position to build up his skills for a few years. Then, he would be promoted as president in one of the provincial branches. When he retired, according to customary practices, he would be raised by half a level, serving temporarily as the headquarters’ vice president.
This was something he had dared not even think about in the past.
Jasper was equally surprised when he heard what he said. The country was in urgent need of major events to boost national confidence and demonstrate national strength. The previous Olympics was one, and building the world’s tallest building was another that was in line with the expectations.
It was no wonder Vita benefited from it as well.
This was a lucrative job in the municipality, what more for an ICBS branch’s vice president in a financial center like Waterhoof City.
“You really do need to buy me that lunch,” Jasper joked.
“Definitely. I will invite John as well when that happens.” Vita chuckled, leading Jasper to his office and making him a cup of coffee.
Vita then took a seat, the smile on his face gradually diminishing as he spoke softly, “I have bad news, Mr. Laine.”
Jasper raised his eyebrows slightly as he stared at Vita, waiting for him to continue.
After letting out a wry smile, Vita continued with a slightly awkward expression, “You spoke to me about the partnership two days ago, remember? I conveyed your requirements to the president and two other vice presidents about it. Everyone was pretty delighted about it at first.
“What’s more, you’re a huge figure in Waterhoof City now. Everyone in the branch is thankful for your contribution regarding that plot of land. So we compiled the documents and handed in the materials to the headquarters but did not expect the headquarters to reject it straight away.”
Vita observed Jasper’s countenance as he spoke, only to see no changes.
Vita was gradually losing confidence and felt slightly guilty about it.
After all, Jasper had helped him get promoted as the branch’s vice president, yet he messed up the first time Jasper asked him to get something done.
Anyone would be upset about this.
Moreover, this was a reasonable and legal partnership. Jasper was not going through the back door or benefiting from him at all.
“The branch in Waterhoof City has the authority to grant me access to an online banking interface, right?” Jasper asked.
Vita chuckled bitterly. “We do, actually. If we hadn’t reported it to the headquarters and kept it to ourselves, then it would’ve been doable. But the problem here is that the president who only initially intended to inform the headquarters did not expect them to reject it straight away. Since this is the case, it will now be inappropriate for us to force the partnership.”
Jasper asked with a frown, “Do you know why it got rejected?”
Vita replied frankly without holding any information back, “When things like that are involved, the headquarters will need to have a meeting to seek permission. You know that ICBS’ shareholder structure is slightly complicated, but almost all of them are state-owned enterprise holdings… All but one.
“Harbor City Trade Settlement Center!
“This trade settlement center holds 31% of ICBS’ shares, making them the third-largest shareholder. Hence, they have a say in making decisions.
“The trade settlement center’s representative was the one who opposed this proposal in the meeting. They’re pretty firm about it. Mr. Laine, under normal circumstances, state-owned enterprises, especially one with a complex shareholder structure like ICBS, would choose to respect the opinions of major shareholders if they ever oppose.”
Jasper finally understood what was going on after listening to Vita’s explanation.
This problem might seem complicated but was actually pretty easy to understand.
ICBS’ headquarters had held a shareholders meeting specifically about his application and Harbor City Trade Settlement Center strongly opposed it. As such, the partnership was considered to have fallen through.
However, Jasper bore no grudge against Harbor City Trade Settlement Center, so why did the other party oppose it?
Jasper had a feeling that something fishy was going on.
At this moment, Vita’s voice rang out. “Mr. Laine, I suggest you find out if there’s any misunderstanding between you and Harbor City Trade Settlement Center, especially the aristocrats who hold the shares. They are the ones who have a say in this.”
“Do you know which aristocratic families hold the trade settlement center’s shares?” Jasper asked.
“I do. One of them is the Half-the-Harbor Langdon family, holding 25% of shares. Then, there’s the infrastructure magnate, the Atticus family, holding 24% of shares. The rest of the 51% of shares shouldn’t be much of a problem because they’re all under state-owned enterprises that can’t even beat you. I don’t think they’ll make things difficult for you on purpose.”
The Atticus family!
Jasper’s eyes lit up.
He finally knew who was behind this.
Fabian Atticus!
Life at the Top Chapter 734
To be honest, Jasper was disgusted when he found out that Fabian was behind this.
He was sickened by people like that the most. Even when they disliked you, they refused to say it to your face and would instead make a move behind your back, grossing you out whenever they could.
This was as gross as having somebody’s snot stuck to your body!
This was uncalled for.
Jasper had not completely run out of options either. He could easily partner up with commercial banks like Pfeiffer and Griffin.
The only thing about them was that their scale and services were slightly limited. These banks generally dealt with businesses more, like corporate loans, deposits, and the like.
They were weaker when it came to personal savings.
Even though things changed in 2020 after Jasper’s reincarnation, it was still not enough for these two banks to catch up with the big four banking companies.
Jasper needed the interface to make payments easier for the players. If they were to take a trip to another city just to open up an account with these two banks, then this was simply putting the cart before the horse.
The players might not buy it.
These two options were not entirely out of the question either. The other party was aware of their shortcomings and would not hesitate to partner up with him when it involved a partnership that could promote their personal savings business in the shortest time possible.
Therefore, this was really not a big deal.
Even so, this was still very disgusting. After all, this was someone else’s snot, and anyone would be grossed out by it.
“Okay, I will handle this. Wait for my update. I might even need your help when the time comes,” Jasper said, standing up.
Vita knew that Jasper was about to leave and stood up with a guilty countenance, saying, “I’ll see you off, Mr. Laine. Sigh, I couldn’t even get one thing done for you!”
Jasper laughed. “There’s no need to take this to heart. I have only myself to blame for not making enough preparations and giving others a loophole to take advantage of me. You have done your best and I will remember that. Let’s have a meal together when John is free. I’ll host.”
Vita said hastily, “Oh, please don’t! We agreed that I’ll buy you a meal. I’ll be the host.”
Jasper smiled when he saw how anxious Vita was and did not insist further.
On the way back, Jasper called Jake and requested him to pull up Harbor City Trade Settlement Center’s file regarding shareholder structure as well as the internal power structure of this company that ordinary people had no knowledge about.
Jake was highly efficient. Jasper had just stepped foot into the hotel when he received the information.
After turning on the computer, Jasper carefully studied the information that Jake sent him.
Like Vita said, Harbor City Trade Settlement Center was owned by three state-owned enterprises that made up 51% of the shares. Of the remaining 49%, Joe Langdon’s family held 25%, whereas Fabian Atticus’ family held 24%.
Strangely, despite being the shareholder that held the least shares, the company’s power structure leaned uniformly toward Fabian’s family.
There were 11 board directors, six of whom were made up of three state-owned enterprises, and three were occupied by the Atticus family alone. The Langdons, on the other hand, occupied only two seats.
According to Harbor City-style state-owned enterprise, state-owned capital only accounted for the controlling rights and decision-making power according to customary practices. The Atticus family had the final say in the company’s daily operation.
That explained why Fabian could mess up his plan so effortlessly.
As he looked at the diagram of the trade settlement center’s shareholder structure, Jasper lowered his head and picked up his phone. He located a number in his contacts that had never been dialed ever since he saved it and pressed on the number without a single hesitation.
After a moment, the call went through.
Life at the Top Chapter 735
Jasper listened to the slightly startled greeting that came from the other end of the phone and laughed. “Mr. Langdon, are you free to make a trip to Waterhoof City? Let’s discuss a big business that could earn you a conservative estimate of at least one billion dollars. How does that sound?”
…
Thompson Golf Course in Harbor City.
A gold golf ball formed a gorgeous arc mid-air before rolling into a golf hole cup 30 meters away.
“You’re amazing, Mr. Atticus!” A gorgeous woman dressed in tight golf apparel praised Fabian.
Fabian let out a nonchalant smile. He had clearly grown accustomed to such flattery as he said in a lackadaisical manner, “That’s what you said last night too. I’ve always been amazing.”
The woman’s delicate face flushed as she protested coquettishly, “Oh, stop it, Mr. Atticus!”
PlayvolumeAd2While walking back to the teeing area, Fabian asked the middle-aged man who was holding his golf clubs for him, playing the role of his caddy.
“Any update on the task I entrusted you to do?”
The middle-aged man hurried forward and replied reverently, “It has been executed, Mr. Atticus. ICBS’ headquarters got back to us today. They have officially sent out the letter of rejection to the Waterhoof City branch today.”
Fabian’s face broke out in a grin as he said, “Not bad. Although I have no idea what Jasper Laine is up to, we’ll disrupt everything he intends to do.”
The middle-aged man responded in an ingratiating manner, “Yes, Jasper is probably still clueless as to who has ruined his plan. He must be so confused.
“What you’re doing is ingenious, Mr. Atticus. He might not even know that he has offended you even after all his plans are ruined.”
“He didn’t offend me, nor does he have the right to offend me. A friend from Coreana asked for my help. Besides…”
Fabian twitched his mouth and continued, “I hate the Laines, or anyone with surnames that begin with the letter L. Those with these surnames are the flies and vermin of this world.
“Keep a close eye on Jasper. If he takes any action, then we’ll continue to wreck his plans. Let’s see what he’s going to do about that. What can he, a Mainlander, possibly do? Raise the roof?
“We must let him know that he has yet to meet the real bigwigs of this world. He thinks he can rest easy just because he’s licking the Laws’ boots? If I, Fabian Atticus, want to lay a finger on him, nobody can stop me—not even the Laws!
“Ask someone to open up my precious bottle of Romani. I’m in a good mood today and a 200,000-dollar red wine would be perfect for such an occasion.”
“Yes, Mr. Atticus.”
…
The next day at Waterhoof City International Airport. A plane slowly landed.
After some time, Kayden Langdon walked out of the business aisle while dressed inconspicuously and with a rushed look on his face. Jasper, who came to pick him up personally, went forward to greet him.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Langdon,” Jasper greeted with a smile.
Kayden shook Jasper’s hands and joked, “You’re the second person in this world aside from my father who can get me to book an overnight flight with a single phone call. If I find out you’re lying to me about this business opportunity, I’m not going to let this slide for sure.”
Jasper laughed and said, “Is it worthwhile for me to get you to come this far just to play a prank on you, Mr. Langdon? Don’t worry, if I say that there’s a business opportunity, then there’s definitely a business opportunity. Besides, this business is one that will give you steady profits without suffering any losses.”
Under Jasper’s lead, Kayden got into a business car.
Once he sat down, he let out a meaningful smile and said, “When I first came out to do business, my father told me that there’s no business in this world that will give me steady profits without suffering some form of losses unless someone wants to gain even more from you.”
Life at the Top Chapter 736
“If that’s the case, did Mr. Joe also tell you that there’s always an exception, especially in the business field? Although experience is crucial, do you know that it’s taboo to say that experience is everything?” Jasper said with a smile.
Kayden shrugged and said in a breezy manner, “That’s why I’m here.”
Jasper chuckled. There was no denying how extraordinary both father and son were that they were able to become the richest people in Somerland in the future.
On the way, both Jasper and Kayden seemed to have a tacit agreement against talking about business in the car. Instead, they chatted about their experiences just like any ordinary friends and while they were at it, they sighed at how quickly the Mainland was developing.
After the previous evening party, Joe had become the major investor to invest in the Mainland among the four richest families in Harbor City. This was in line with Jasper’s experience in his past life.
In the next 15 years after the year 2000, Joe would have invested more than 120 billion in the Mainland. This was an astronomical amount.
This indirectly showed how jaw-droppingly high Joe’s wealth had expanded in 15 years.
Apart from everything else, at least Jasper now knew that he was not going to get 120 billion even after selling off Joe Langdon.
The pair’s total assets currently stood at around 40 billion.
US dollars, of course.
Jasper then recalled the 16 billion dollar building construction fee he was fretting about and could not help but sigh at how many wealthy people there were out there in the world.
From their conversation, Jasper learned that although it seemed like Kayden had come to the Mainland this time because of a call from Jasper, he was actually interested in several investment opportunities in the Mainland as well. He had already intended to come over and check things out. It did not matter if he departed earlier or later, hence he thought he might as well use this opportunity to show Jasper an adequate amount of respect.
The duo came to the hotel and found a table in an executive lounge. Kayden and Jasper sat facing each other. They both knew that real business was about to begin.
They were both extremely busy men, and every minute wasted could cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Therefore, they did not have the time for idle chats.
Jasper leaned on the couch and asked Kayden, “Do you know much about the domestic internet industry, Mr. Langdon?”
Kayden nodded and said, “A little. My family is engaged in the telecommunications business back home. Telecommunications and the internet are mutually dependent derivative markets. Although the Mainland’s telecommunications business is unlikely to be handled by private individuals, I must say that I’m very interested in the internet business.
“In my opinion, the domestic internet industry is a massive market that has yet to be developed. Once it has reached its full potential, it will inevitably shock the world.”
Jasper’s eyes lit up after hearing Kayden’s words.
Sure enough, talking to smart people was easy as he did not need to waste so much of his breath talking.
Moreover, Kayden’s accurate judgment of the internet industry had impressed Jasper greatly.
He knew many things thanks to the memories he had after reincarnating, but Kayden was not equipped with such an advantage.
Even so, he was able to tell the huge potential of the internet industry in the future and to do so required an extraordinary vision.
He was just a little unlucky.
In his past life, Kayden had invested 20 million US dollars in Terizone and with the number of shares he had at the time, he waited until the day of Terizone’s emergence and surpassed his father’s, Half-the-Harbor Langdon, assets to become the new richest man of Somer descent.
This time, however, after making several hundred million in profit, he actually resold it to Naspers.
Thinking about this real-life anecdote, Jasper wore a mysterious smile on his face and asked, “I’m sure you know about Sena, Mr. Langdon?”
Kayden nodded again. “How could I not know about the largest web portal when I’m paying close attention to the domestic internet industry?”
“Sena is mine.” Jasper broke the news to him.
Kayden wore a look of astonishment on his face before laughing. “Well then, I must congratulate you for seizing the first opportunity then, Mr. Laine.”
Life at the Top Chapter 737
Knowing that Kayden was teasing him for seizing the position in the internet industry which he too, agreed was highly potential, Jasper shrugged and made no further explanation. He continued, “At present, all internet companies are facing the same issue of not earning any profit. I have ways to make Sena profitable, and this will soon be realized.
“Online games.”
Jasper took the initiative to explain without waiting for Kayden to ask.
“An online game with more than two million players online at the same time. This same product can create millions of profits for Sena every day.”
Kayden was slightly startled. Although he had been paying attention to the internet industry, he did not know much about the gaming industry. Nevertheless, he still politely said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Laine, but I still don’t know what this partnership is after we’ve discussed this for so long. Do you want to partner up with me in online games?”
Ignoring the mockery in Kayden’s words, Jasper continued, “When internet companies all over the world are struggling to make a profit, Sena has already achieved over one million dollars of profits per day. That, and it’s Somerland’s largest web portal.
“If I list Sena on the share market, Mr. Langdon, can you guess how much its share price will soar?”
As soon as the words left his lips, a door had seemingly opened before Kayden’s eyes. Under the massive shock, his countenance abruptly changed. He was subconsciously trying to stand up.
“It… It’s going to be a mega bullish share!”
Although the burst of the dot-com bubble had kept every share market investor on their toes, it was still not enough to stop the trend.
The internet was the global trend, and that was an unchangeable fact.
Therefore, internet shares continued to be in good demand.
Nevertheless, investors were smarter now and would merely look for reliable shares to buy.
Gone was the era where one could easily make a fortune by buying a small portion of internet shares.
However, the more this was the case, the more profitable it was for high-quality internet companies as there were only very limited choices where the investment money could go.
Evidently, Weresoft’s shares were breaking new highs every day. How could anyone not see that this company was breaking its daily record of becoming the world’s most valuable company?
This meant that the market investors’ enthusiasm and cash were available, but everyone had learned to be smart and not easily deceived. What they needed most right now was a reliable market to invest in!
Once listed on the share market, Sena, the company that could achieve profitable growth and at the same time own Somerland’s Mainland market might very well turn into the capital market’s favorite company.
“Not bad. Yes, a mega bullish share.” Jasper was pleased with Kayden’s reaction.
If Kayden still could not make out what he was saying even after he had given him so much information, then he might as well just go back home.
“How will our partnership work?” Kayden looked at Jasper with burning eyes, his gaze filled with excitement.
If his predictions were right, Jasper was about to give him money for nothing.
“I will do my best to list Sena on the market and allow you to buy up to 100 million shares via pre-IPO placement,” Jasper said.
“Shares like that are bound to quintuple when trading is commenced. It’s also expected to decuple in the long run. Do you believe me now when I say that you will earn one billion?” Jasper said mildly.
Kayden fixed his gaze on Jasper and repeated, “Decuple? No matter how outstanding Sena is, how can you be so sure that it will decuple in share prices? Shares like that are really rare in share market history.”
“How can I be so sure?” Jasper grinned and stood up slowly, looking at Kayden with glowing eyes.
“I can be so sure because I’m Jasper Laine!”
Life at the Top Chapter 738
Staring at Jasper standing before him, Kayden was lost in thoughts.
He suddenly remembered that this man, who was seven to eight years younger than him, was the host of the Harbor City billion-dollar market rescue plan.
How old was he back then?
How old was he that he was bold enough to preside over a billion-dollar market rescue plan and most importantly, succeed?
Sure enough, backed by such glorious history and coupled with the already strong foundation of Sena, getting the share prices to decuple was not entirely unattainable.
Besides, even if it did not decuple, he would still profit even if it merely sextupled or septupled!
At the thought of this, Kayden suddenly realized that the words Jasper said about ‘being so sure because he was Jasper Laine’ might seem arrogant but were actually true.
Playvolume00:00/00:00TruvidfullScreen
“What do I need to do?”
Kayden was, after all, Kayden. He would not be blinded by the profits presented before his eyes. He knew that Jasper had conditions as well for offering him such a huge benefit.
Jasper smiled slightly and said, “You sure are a sensible person, Mr. Langdon. If that’s the case, I won’t beat about the bush anymore. You own 25% of shares in Harbor City Trade Settlement Center, right, Mr. Langdon?”
Kayden frowned and said, “Yes, I do. But key state-owned enterprises like that represent half of Harbor City’s central bank, so even though I hold a portion of the shares, I can’t really do anything with them. I’m sure you know this.”
Jasper laughed. “I can’t have any ideas about the trade settlement center, of course. What I need you to do, Mr. Langdon, is to use the shares in your hands to propose something for me.”
Having said that, Jasper told him all about his partnership with ICBS to gain access to a payment interface.
“Are you setting up an online payment system?” Once again, Kayden studied Jasper carefully. All of a sudden, he realized that as they interacted further, he would eventually find himself underestimating the other party no matter how much importance he had attached to him in the first place.
Online payment was not something that ordinary people would touch.
The cost was too high, and the difficulty level was uncommonly high. Disregarding everything else, the policy itself was tantamount to climbing Mt. Everest. Any approval procedures for this system needed to go through Swallow Capital’s major departments. Those without the ability would not stand a chance at all.
Most importantly, no one knew what the future trend would be like. If things went south, all the money invested would be lost.
Jasper, however, was brave enough to do it.
“It’s just an attempt. Besides, the online payment system is crucial for the upcoming online game Sena is developing. It’ll affect the share prices once the company is listed in the future,” Jasper said.
Kayden came to a sudden realization and immediately flew into a rage out of embarrassment. He said, “You’re setting me up!
“You first lure me in with a huge mouth-watering pancake and then tell me that this pancake isn’t done yet. Now I’m supposed to work for it in order to have a taste?!”
Jasper laughed. “I deserve to be lectured, indeed. There’s no business in this world where you can earn steady profits at all times. The distinction here is that the things I want from you are far less than what you will get.
“This is a challenge for me, but for you, it will be nothing more than using your right as a shareholder to voice out. Besides, don’t you want to subdue Fabian?” Jasper asked flatly.
Kayden fell silent.
Although he was unhappy about this, Kayden must admit that every word Jasper said spoke his mind.
He and Fabian could not get along with each other. Their resentment was deeply ingrained and could never be resolved.
Although it was highly unlikely for them to go so far as to fight with each other, they would not hesitate to use any chance they could get to make the other party suffer just a tad.
Most importantly, it was not really difficult for him to get this done anyway.
It went without saying that he could easily obtain Sena’s 100 million shares via pre-IPO placement in the future.
Life at the Top Chapter 739
This was a good opportunity that would not come by often.
“Count me in,” Kayden said, standing up.
Kayden chuckled and stretched out his hand. “I look forward to our partnership.”
“May we have a pleasant cooperation.”
After a good firm handshake with Jasper, Kayden studied Jasper and said, “I think we can visit each other more often in the future. Although I’m a few years older than you, I rarely have any genuine friends around me. I think we can be friends.”
By saying so, Kayden was showing his recognition for Jasper’s ability, or perhaps he intended to take their friendship to a deeper level in the future.
This was often the case in the business field. Once your ability and power had been recognized by the people around you, someone would then take the initiative to be your friend.
After all, having more friends meant more opportunities. In the business field, making more friends was better than making more enemies.
Jasper laughed. “The honor is mine.”
“You’re too polite,” Kayden added.
After exchanging pleasantries with each other, Kayden left in a hurry.
They were both sensible men. Since they had set their hearts on doing something, they would do so with great efficiency.
After half an hour, Kayden’s words that represented the interests of the Langdons were conveyed from Waterhoof City to Harbor City Trade Settlement Center.
That afternoon itself, the trade settlement center held an emergency board meeting.
During the board meeting, although there were only two board members who supported the Langdons’ suggestion while three board members supported the Atticus family, the Langdons still held 25% of shares!
At the board meeting, six board members representing state-owned enterprises abstained from voting. After two board members representing the Langdons had failed two against three to make their proposal, the two board members immediately called for a general shareholders meeting.
At the shareholders meeting, the state-owned enterprises holding 51% shares abstained from voting, the Langdons who held 25% of shares won, and the Atticuses holding 24% shares lost.
Under the guiding principle that the company’s general shareholders meeting was the supreme body, the Langdons’ motion was passed.
The Atticuses flew into a rage yet could not do anything about it. They watched as the opinion letter representing Harbor City Trade Settlement Center was faxed to ICBS’ headquarters.
That night, ICBS’ headquarters held an overnight meeting. At the meeting, Harbor City Trade Settlement Center expressed their support for Waterhoof City’s ICBS branch to partner up with Terizone to open up an online payment interface. Therefore, the same application that was rejected the day prior was met with a completely different result: unanimously passed.
The news reached Harbor City first thing itself.
In the villa, a crash was heard. A glass had been smashed to the ground.
Fabian’s furious roars echoed in the villa.
“You useless good-for-nothing! I asked you to keep an eye on Jasper. What were you guys doing? Eating sh*t? Tell me, how did those two with surnames starting with L partner up?! Why am I only receiving the news after the general shareholders meeting?!”
Fabian flew into a rage with bloodshot eyes. Everyone in the villa stood in front of him holding their breaths.
Standing among them were the trade settlement center’s board members representing the Atticuses’ interests.
“Mr. Atticus, the Langdons are extremely firm. They did not even hesitate to call for a general shareholders meeting. This was unprecedented. Now the question remains, what did Jasper use to move the Langdons that they’re so supportive of him?” a board member said softly.
“Do you think I need you to tell me that?!” Fabian glared at him. He had seemingly found a place to release his pent-up anger as he slammed an ashtray on the other party’s forehead.
Amidst the shrill cries of the board member, Fabian said coldly, “Investigate! I want this to be investigated! That Mainlander and Kayden have worked together to humiliate me. I’ll show them!”
Life at the Top Chapter 740
“Here we go! Cheers!”
Jasper and Hudson clinked their wine glasses in midair.
On the morning of the second day after receiving the good news, Hudson— representing Terizone Inc.—officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Waterhoof City branch of ICBC.
Hudson leaned toward Jasper and said with great enthusiasm, “Are online games really so lucrative? We’ve done so many promotions during this period—if things don’t work out, we’ll be a laughing stock in everyone’s eyes.”
Jasper responded, grinning, “This is an absolute 100 billion-grade blue ocean market; its potential just hasn’t been fully realized yet.
“United Legends will be our stepping stone to success!”
Hudson had complete confidence in Jasper’s discerning eye. When he heard Jasper’s comment, he immediately inquired eagerly, “Do you think Terizone could do it?”
Hearing this, Jasper immediately recalled his past life. Domestic gamers had described Terizone games through an ad slogan, “No cash, no chance.”
With a light laugh, Jasper answered, “It’s doable. Once United Legends becomes a hit, we’ll talk.”
The domestic online gaming market was undoubtedly a large one, with a market value of over 100 billion dollars. It was absolutely impossible for a single company to monopolize it.
This was the consensus Jasper and Malcolm Malibu had reached after communicating with each other.
They decided to follow Procter & Gamble’s example by establishing more sub-brands.
Most people were not aware that Rejoice and Head & Shoulders—competing rivals in the shampoo market—were actually both Procter & Gamble products!
Their objective was to generate confusion among consumers.
When buying, consumers would frequently choose between these two brands; it was rare for them to consider a third choice.
Similar methods were practiced by Pepsi and Coca-Cola, both of which were brands under the Coca-Cola Group.
The same principle could be applied to the domestic online gaming market. If Jasper could use Sena to acquire 30% of the market, the addition of Terizone Inc. and its vast number of subscribers meant that he could garner at least 70% and above of the entire market!
…
On the second day after the signing of the agreement, Terizone Inc. obtained the interface provided by ICBC with no trouble at all.
Truth to tell, it was rather incredible—the interface was only a string of key codes and an IP address.
Terizone had rushed to set up the completed platform and then had begun intensive testing.
Of course, a few issues had still emerged during the process. After all, this was unprecedented—it was the first time in the country that a bank had provided a private enterprise with access to its internal interface, so there were bound to be some hiccups.
However, these issues were resolved smoothly by technicians from both ICBC and Terizone who worked frantically overtime to deliver the necessary solutions.
Good news had also arrived from Sena. A version of the completed game had been finalized; once it had gone through internal testing, it would be ready for open beta testing at any time.
Jasper, who was in Waterhoof City, had personally gone to try it out, thereby satisfying his obsessive interest in internal testing. After ensuring that the game had been written according to his specifications, Jasper knew it was ready for testing.
“Tonight at 7 pm, we will officially launch the first nationwide free open beta test!”
Standing in Sena’s Waterhoof City office, Jasper looked at Mr. Adams, Jack Tanner, and the others present, before giving his order.
There was nothing unusual about his statement. Everyone nodded and made note of it.
His next words, however, threw everyone into confusion as if they had been struck by lightning.
“Have 50 extra server groups on standby. Once the main servers are full, add those extra servers.”
Mr. Adams was standing to one side; when he heard this, he was instantly bewildered.
“50 server groups? Are they only for backup?”
To them, what Jasper had requested was overkill. It felt as if they were going fishing by a lake; a packet of bait was obviously enough but Jasper insisted on bringing along 10 elephants.
What were they fishing for—fish or dinosaurs?
“Mr… Mr. Laine, that’s very wasteful, ” Mr. Adams said, furrowing his brow and glancing at Jasper. His manner indicated that he thought this was not worth doing.
“Although I understand Mr. Laine is expecting great things from United Legends, what’s the rationale behind 50 backup server groups?
“We can set up a gaming region with just one server group, and each region will be able to accommodate at least 25,000 players online simultaneously!
“50 server groups would mean 1.25 million people. To even think of getting 1.25 million people online on the first day of open beta testing? That’s absolutely impossible.”
The entire meeting room went so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Apart from Mr. Adams, no one dared to question Jasper’s decision upfront, no matter how ridiculous it seemed.
Sure enough, Jasper furrowed his brows.
Seeing this, Mr. Adams sneered. Shaking his head, he said to the people next to him in Corean, “Just look—a layman is a layman. He doesn’t even understand the basic concept of numbers, and already he wants to have 50 extra servers. If this were Coreana, we would have been the laughing stock of the country.
“This would only happen with a Mainlander who has never experienced the world beyond his own oyster,” someone next to Mr. Adams commented with a snicker.
“A server group can only host 25000 players?” Jasper found this rather inconceivable.
However, he immediately responded.
It was 2001, and technology was still far less advanced than that of later generations. Naturally, server performances were also very weak.
“If that’s the case, please prepare 70 server groups then,” Jasper instructed.