novelraw Chapter 520 : Going to the Headquarters for Negotiations
Chapter 520 : Going to the Headquarters for Negotiations
Chapter 520: Going to the Headquarters for Negotiations
The negotiations had once again reached an impasse.
Now both parties' demands were completely stuck on the acquisition price.
Baidu's side felt that Chen Fan's navigation website was worth around 30 million yuan.
But Chen Fan firmly believed that Baidu was about to go public and needed to expand its assets to give investors confidence.
Acquiring Go Navigation Home was a crucial part of this, and Baidu was absolutely determined to succeed.
At this point, it was completely a buyer's market.
He didn't believe Baidu would give up on him and turn to buy another company instead.
So even though he was anxious inside, Chen Fan kept a straight face, refusing to back down at all.
"Mr. Chen, forgive me for being blunt, but our negotiations can't keep stalling like this," Chen Wenchao seemed to be losing patience.
"If you insist on not lowering the price, I'm afraid... we'll have to give up."
Chen Fan smiled, "If you give up, I believe the loss will be greater for your company."
Chen Wenchao replied calmly, "You should be clear that we currently have more than just your company to consider."
Chen Fan remained unmoved, as if he had already seen through this guy's thoughts.
"You mean acquiring hao123?"
Chen Wenchao nodded.
"Although your Go Navigation Home has the highest market share, the difference between first and second place is actually just a matter of ranking."
Hearing this, Chen Fan finally smiled.
"If you really believe that in your heart, then I have to question your company's judgment for sending you to negotiate with me."
"You..."
"Do you think this is merely a difference between first and second place? And..."
"Do you think your company wants to acquire my Go Navigation Home just for its functionality?"
"You're also an internet professional, so let me ask you this: do you think acquiring a navigation website with the highest market share in the country and acquiring one with the second-highest market share will have the same effect when it shows up on the financial report?"
"Old Chen..." Chen Fan suddenly addressed him familiarly.
The smile on his face, however, made Chen Wenchao's body tremble, as if all his inner thoughts had been seen through by the other party.
"Baidu is about to go public, right?"
"I guess your acquisition of my Go Navigation Home is also part of the IPO plan."
"When it's announced in the financial report that Baidu has acquired the navigation website with the second-highest market share in the country, how do you think investors will view it?"
"Second in market share? Why not acquire the one with the highest share? Is Baidu short on money?"
"At least if I were an investor, that's what I would think. Because this operation of yours reeks of pettiness..."
"Petty people can't achieve great things."
"Not only will it fail to give investors confidence, but it will also make people question Baidu's future."
"If your company really does this, not only will it have the opposite effect, but the money spent on the acquisition will probably go down the drain."
"Old Chen, if you were your company's CEO, Li Yanhong, do you think you would care more about these few tens of millions, or the future stock price of your company?"
"This..."
Chen Wenchao was stunned on the spot.
At this point, after three rounds of negotiations, Chen Fan had finally revealed his trump card.
That is, he was certain that Baidu was determined to acquire his Go Navigation Home.
What they valued was not how convenient Go Navigation Home was or how many functions it had, but the fact that it had the highest market share.
What does being number one mean?
It means comprehensively crushing all competitors.
It makes people think it's impressive just by hearing about it.
And Baidu's acquisition of Go Navigation Home was not because they valued its functionality, but to prevent it from falling into the hands of competitors.
Chen Wenchao was completely stunned.
He hadn't expected Chen Fan to say all this in one breath.
He had completely seen through all of Baidu's plans.
This young man was truly terrifying.
Seeing that the time was right, Chen Fan stood up.
"Let's stop here for now."
"Since we can't come to an agreement, I think you should report back to headquarters in detail."
"Of course, I should also kindly remind you..."
"Your time is valuable, and so is mine."
"If Baidu doesn't have the courage, then I'll have to consider your competitors."
"Goodbye."
Watching Chen Fan leave, Chen Wenchao's expression suddenly changed dramatically.
What did this guy mean by that last sentence?
Competitors?
What competitors?
Could there be other companies approaching him as well?
Was it Taobao, NetEase, or Tencent?
Chen Wenchao felt uneasy and knew he had to investigate this matter immediately.
Also, he had to rush back to headquarters to report the situation in detail to his superiors.
......
Chen Fan had originally thought that Baidu would need a few days to think it over carefully this time.
Unexpectedly, their action was very swift this time.
The day after talking with Chen Wenchao, his phone call came through.
Chen Fan was cooking in the kitchen when Su Ruochu walked in with his phone.
"You left your phone in the bedroom. It's been ringing for a while. I saw he called several times."
Chen Fan took it and glanced at it, smiling.
"It's nothing, just someone coming to give us money."
After saying this, he didn't answer the call but insisted on finishing cooking the dish, bringing the food to the dining table outside before wiping his hands.
By this time, it was Chen Wenchao's fourth call.
Chen Fan answered, "Hello?"
Immediately, Chen Wenchao's somewhat excited voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Mr. Chen, I finally got through to you."
Chen Fan smiled, "I'm sorry, my phone wasn't with me. I was in the kitchen just now."
Chen Wenchao didn't have time for small talk with Chen Fan and went straight to the point.
"Mr. Chen, it's like this. I went back to the company and reported the situation to the higher-ups. Now our company wants to ask if you have time to come to the headquarters. Our company's boss would like to meet you in person and discuss the acquisition of Go Navigation Home."
Chen Fan was surprised, "Your boss? Mr. Li?"
"Yes."
Chen Fan looked at Su Ruochu standing beside him and pondered for two seconds.
"Alright."
"That's great. When do you have time? I'll make arrangements. The company will cover your travel expenses."
Chen Fan thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'm free tomorrow. I'll be in Beijing tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay, okay. Please send me your flight information when you have it. I'll pick you up at the airport."
"Alright."
After hanging up, Su Ruochu couldn't help but ask, "Who was that? You're going to Beijing?"
Chen Fan smiled as he put away his phone.
"People from Baidu. Remember that website I created in college? They're very interested and want to acquire it."
"We've been in contact several times now. I guess they're in a hurry, as they've directly invited me to their headquarters for talks."
"How about it? Want to come with me to Beijing tomorrow?"
To be honest, Su Ruochu was a bit tempted.
But after thinking about it, she shook her head and declined.
"You're going for business negotiations. Bringing a girlfriend would seem unprofessional. I won't go."
"Besides, isn't Song Linlin coming back tomorrow? I want to pick her up."
Chen Fan slapped his forehead.
"I completely forgot about that. Alright then, you represent our family to pick her up. Also, tell Xiaoshuai that we'll have a proper get-together when I come back."
"Mm. Be careful on your trip."
Chen Fan laughed and hugged Su Ruochu.
"Don't worry. Your man is going to Beijing to make money this time."
"When I make big money, I'll buy you ten or eight luxury homes in Beijing, so you can live in a different one every day."
Su Ruochu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, not taking Chen Fan's words seriously at all.