Chinese entertainment: What's wrong with actresses wanting to improve?

Chapter 263 Stranger Phone Calls

The next day, when Fu Yibai woke up, Gao Yuanyuan was still curled up in his arms, breathing evenly and deeply.

Her face was pressed against his chest, her warm breath brushing against his skin like a spring breeze.

He gently pulled his arm away from under her neck, slowly so as not to disturb her.

When Gao Yuanyuan came out of the bathroom, she was already awake.

She lay on her side, her hair spread out on the pillow, her eyes not fully open, but the corners of her mouth were already curved into a smile.

"morning."

Good morning. Did I wake you up?

"no."

She stretched, and the blanket slipped down, revealing a large expanse of fair skin.

She didn't pull the covers up; she just lay there lazily, like a cat sunbathing.

"Going to the company today?"

"Um."

"Then I'll go make you breakfast."

She threw off the covers, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and pulled a Fu Yibai shirt from the closet to put on.

The hem of the shirt barely covered the top of her legs, leaving her two long, slender legs clearly exposed.

Fu Yibai watched her walk into the kitchen, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

After returning to the company, Fu Yibai went to the editing room.

They stayed there for the entire day.

When I came out of the editing room, it was already quite dark outside the window.

Back in the office, Guo Zhenni handed me a glass of warm water.

"Mr. Fu, have some water."

"Um."

Fu Yibai took the cup and took a sip. The warm water slid down his throat, taking away some of his fatigue.

"Going home tonight or—"

My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.

Fu Yibai took it out and glanced at it; the caller ID showed an unknown number.

He answered the call.

"Hello."

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Fu Yibai, President Fu?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was unfamiliar; it was a middle-aged man with a slight southern accent. He spoke slowly but clearly.

"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

"Hello Mr. Fu, I apologize for bothering you."

I'm Cao Guowei, from Sina.

"Hello, Mr. Cao, it's an honor to meet you."

"I dare not accept such praise."

Mr. Fu is the real legend.

I truly admire how someone so young has built such a large company like Chenxi Group.

Cao Guowei's tone was very polite, even somewhat flattering.

"Mr. Cao, you flatter me."

"I wonder what brings you here today, Mr. Cao?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Fu, it's like this."

Cao Guowei's voice became more serious.

"We have noticed that a company called Xinghui Investment has been acquiring Sina's shares on the secondary market in recent months."

The current shareholding ratio has reached 18.3%.

Fu Yibai remained silent.

"I contacted Mr. Chen of Xinghui, hoping to get Xinghui to release some of its shares."

Mr. Chen said he had no authority and gave me your phone number.

That's when I found out that Mr. Fu actually owned such a company.

I truly admire that.

Cao Guowei's tone was full of admiration.

"That old Chen, he just exposed me like that."

"Haha, Mr. Fu, please don't blame Mr. Chen."

Because I mentioned Shanda Games from 05 to him.

"Ha, Mr. Cao, are you threatening me?"

Fu Yibai's voice turned cold.

"Mr. Fu, please don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant."

Cao Guowei softened his tone, becoming more sincere.

"Business investment is your prerogative, and Xinghui's operations are completely compliant."

However, this shareholding ratio is indeed somewhat sensitive for us.

That's why I'm taking the liberty of making this call, hoping to speak with you in person.

Fu Yibai remained silent for a moment, then realized why Cao Guowei was nervous.

Sina's shareholding structure has been very dispersed since the day it went public, with management holding a very low percentage of shares.

In 2005, Shanda Interactive Entertainment, founded by Chen Tianqiao, acquired Sina shares through the secondary market, reaching a 19.5% stake, just one step away from the 20% threshold for acquisition.

At the time, Sina's board of directors urgently launched a "poison pill plan," issuing new shares to existing shareholders at a low price to dilute Shanda's shareholding ratio, which ultimately kept Chen Tianqiao out.

That battle was thrilling and terrifying.

Now, Starshine's shareholding ratio has reached 18.3%, only 1.2 percentage points lower than Shanda's back then.

Cao Guowei couldn't possibly not be nervous.

"Mr. Cao, I understand your concerns."

Fu Yibai finally spoke, his voice steady.

I know about Sina's poison pill plan.

I also paid attention to Shanda's incident.

"President Fu is indeed very insightful."

Cao Guowei's voice held a hint of amusement, but Fu Yibai could tell what lay beneath that amusement.

"Mr. Fu, when would be a convenient time for us to meet?"

Some things can't be explained over the phone.

"Is Mr. Cao in Beijing?"

I'm in Beijing.

I've been here for the past few days.

"Then let's do it tomorrow."

Tomorrow at 3 PM, Morning Light Media, my office.

"good.

"Then I'll be there promptly at 3 PM tomorrow."

"Um."

Fu Yibai responded and was about to hang up.

"President Fu—"

Cao Guowei called him back again.

"Is there anything else?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Fu, may I ask you something first—"

Cao Guowei lowered his voice.

"What exactly are you trying to do by acquiring Sina's stock?"

"Mr. Cao, I will give you a clear answer when we meet tomorrow."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Okay. I'll be there on time tomorrow."

"Um."

Fu Yibai hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.