novelraw Chapter 85 The Capital Tycoon in the Tea Room
Chapter 85 The Capital Tycoon in the Tea Room
Scrolling up through Yang Mi's messages one after another:
"Victor Chen is a pseudonym, the English name he used during his visiting scholar period at Columbia University. His real name is Li Ruigang, and he is the founding partner of CMC Capital."
"The China Media Capital (CMC) was established in 2009, and he is the actual operator behind it. His controlled media assets include Star Media, Oriental DreamWorks, Shaw Brothers, TVB... Do you want me to continue listing them?"
"This man isn't some shell company for a shady fund; Song Ze is a legitimate media mogul."
Song Ze put down his phone.
The lights in the rehearsal room were still on, and the instrumental track for "The Lone Warrior" remained silently paused on the last frame of the waveform. Thirty seconds ago, he was still immersed in the lingering melody of the chorus, but now his mind was preoccupied with something else entirely.
CMC Capital.
China Media Capital (CMC)
Li Ruigang.
He had no recollection of this name in his previous life, because the Song Ze of that life was simply not worthy of being considered at this level. A washed-up celebrity whose reputation was ruined by fabricated evidence, he couldn't even get close to the interests of capital.
But this life is different.
He successfully secured a starting spot on "Singer".
Yang Mi called.
"Finished watching?"
"I've finished looking at it." Song Ze leaned against the mixing console. "You couldn't find it at first because you were looking in the wrong direction?"
"The name Chen Weike doesn't exist in the business registration at all. The shell companies in the Cayman Islands are layered. The only clue Liu Yifei gave us was the attendance list for that private dinner in Montreal. I had people investigate for three weeks, and finally we found it by comparing it with old photos from the Columbia University alumni association."
Yang Mi paused for a moment.
"People like Song Ze and Li Ruigang manage mergers and acquisitions worth tens of billions of yuan or more. They wouldn't be so bored as to investigate the contract termination fees of a newly emerging artist."
"So you think he's playing a bigger game."
"I don't think so, I'm sure." Yang Mi's speech was a beat slower than usual. "He wasn't staring at you, he was staring at the ground beneath your feet. You just happened to step on it."
Song Ze remained silent.
"Don't rush to react," Yang Mi said. "Let me check again."
The phone hangs up.
Song Ze put his phone back in his pocket and stood in the rehearsal room for about ten seconds.
The door was pushed open.
Zhang Juan walked in holding a notice, her steps a couple of beats slower than usual. She said, "Xiao Song, tomorrow's schedule—", but her whole demeanor was off.
Song Ze glanced at her.
"How long have you been standing at the door?"
Zhang Juan froze when asked the question.
"...The chorus of 'The Lone Warrior'." She cleared her throat, placed the call sheet on the table, and vigorously smoothed her hair. "I didn't hear it for long. Just a short part."
"How are you feeling?"
"good."
After saying those two words, Zhang Juan lowered her head to flip through the notice, her ears turning red.
Okay.
Song Ze felt that this "not bad" was quite impressive. Zhang Juan had followed him for over two years, listening to his recordings countless times, and she always maintained excellent emotional control. The last time her ears turned red after listening to a song was when the first master tape of "Liang Liang" came out.
"Tell me your itinerary."
Zhang Juan immediately switched back to work mode, tapping the notice board with her index finger as she scrolled down.
"Tomorrow morning at 10 AM, there's a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a high-end luxury brand in Shanghai, and they specifically requested you. There's also a magazine photoshoot at 2 PM..."
"Where is the ribbon-cutting ceremony?"
"XH area".
Song Ze tapped his fingers twice on the table.
XH area.
"Sister Juan, do me a favor."
Zhang Juan looked up.
"Have Yang Mi pass on a message for me: I want to see Li Ruigang. Tell him I'm the one who initiated the meeting, and he can choose the location. The sooner the better."
Zhang Juan's hand stopped.
"……who?"
"Yang Mi knows." Song Ze picked up the notice and scanned it. "Don't ask. You won't be able to sleep tonight if you do."
Zhang Juan went over those words in her mind and decided to listen to the advice.
For someone Yang Mi treats with such care, her manager really doesn't need to be anxious beforehand. Anxiety is useless anyway.
Two days later. Shanghai, XH District.
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Song Ze changed out of the suit provided by the brand and put back on his own black hoodie. Zhang Juan drove him to the entrance of a quiet alley; the van was parked on the side of the road with the engine running.
"Yang Mi said, go all the way to the end, the second door on the left." Zhang Juan remained seated in the driver's seat. "She said the people inside would let you in alone."
Song Ze pushed open the car door.
"Wait for my call. If you haven't heard from me in more than an hour and a half, call Yang Mi."
Zhang Juan nodded.
Song Ze walked into the alley.
Blue brick walls, bamboo shadows, stone-paved paths—after walking about forty meters, I passed three security checkpoints: the first was plainclothes officers, the second was an access control system, and the third was a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit who checked my ID card with a stern expression.
Pushing open the last wooden door, the courtyard is not large, but every detail tells visitors two words—expensive and tranquil.
Li Ruigang sat in the very center of the tea room.
He was in his early forties, rather thin, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and was slowly brewing a pot of tea.
There were no bodyguards standing by his side. No assistants carrying folders. He was the only person in the entire tea room, with only a pot of freshly boiled water.
When Song Ze entered, Li Ruigang raised his head and nodded at him.
"sit."
Song Ze sat down opposite him.
Li Ruigang pushed the first cup of tea in front of him.
"Yang Mi told my people that you asked to see me." Li Ruigang poured more water into his cup. "It's quite unexpected. I thought you would first try to find out my background before deciding whether to meet me or not."
"I've already inquired." Song Ze picked up his teacup and took a sip. "CMC Capital, China Media Capital, Starry Sky Media, Oriental DreamWorks. There's no need to inquire about President Li's trump cards; a quick search will reveal them."
Li Ruigang paused for a moment.
"Aren't you nervous?"
"Being nervous won't help; you should know that."
Li Ruigang smiled.
He put down the teapot and leaned back in his chair.
"Since you've investigated me, I won't beat around the bush. My fund was originally working on one thing—acquiring a controlling stake in Tianyu Media, a subsidiary of Hunan TV."
Song Ze paused for a moment as he picked up the teacup.
EE-Media.
This acquisition did indeed happen in his previous life, but he had already retired from the industry and didn't care about the capital movements in the media sector at all.
Now all the clues connect.
Li Ruigang investigated his 80 million yuan termination fee, his contract status, and Jiaxing Media—not because Song Ze was worthy of the attention of a capital tycoon with assets worth hundreds of billions.
It's because he suddenly appeared on the show as a starter, replacing Zhang Jingxuan and Lin Youjia.
This could potentially affect the subsequent popularity and buzz surrounding the company, thereby impacting the valuation of EE-Media.
Meanwhile, Tianyu Media is being acquired and its valuation is being assessed.
This is a systemic risk that disrupts the valuation balance.
"You've figured it out," Li Ruigang said, looking at him. "You reacted quickly."
Song Ze put the teacup back on the table.
"So, Mr. Li agreed to meet with me today not so that an artist would compensate for the valuation loss of Tianyu Media, right?"
Li Ruigang took off his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly wiped the lenses with a soft cloth.
"Song Ze, you suddenly appeared out of nowhere, dragging a freshman from the Shanghai Theatre Academy into Hunan TV's program team, disrupting our carefully planned acquisition schedule."
He put his glasses back on.
"You are a very energetic catfish. But the tank is too small, and you're creating more than just splashes."
Song Ze didn't reply, and waited.
Sure enough, Li Ruigang pulled a business card from his suit pocket. It was gold-embossed, with no company name, only a handwritten personal number. He placed the card under his teacup and pushed it towards Song Ze.
"I admire you very much," Li Ruigang said. "I'm not just being polite. For an artist who isn't formally trained, to get Yang Mi to make phone calls to arrange meetings for him, to get Tan Jingjing to add him on WeChat, and to get Na Ying to call him 'son'—this ability to integrate resources shouldn't be wasted on an 80 million yuan contract termination fee from a small company."
He picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"If you're willing to cooperate, I'll settle the 80 million within ten minutes. You'll immediately become a free agent, able to sign whomever you want and appear on whatever shows you want..."