Chapter 399 - 207: With a God’s-Eye View, How Could I Possibly Lose?

Wang Han didn’t stand on ceremony and followed Qi Sheng into the back of the Phantom.

As for Huang Zhaoqi, who needed to come along to handle the paperwork, he naturally had to ride in Wang Han’s Bentley Mulsanne.

Even a Bentley Mulsanne was a luxury car worth several million.

For a regular employee like Huang Zhaoqi, it was something completely out of his league.

...

Inside the car.

Qi Sheng took a bottle of Louis Roederer champagne from the mini-fridge.

After opening it, he poured a glass for himself and one for Wang Han.

Qu Man didn’t like to drink, so he didn’t pour her any.

Wang Han sat in the comfortable airline-style seat in the back, gazing at the starlight headliner above.

Gently swirling the champagne in his glass, he couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

"Tsk, tsk. A Phantom, through and through. What girl wouldn’t love this starlight headliner?"

It was just like the joke online.

You used to think the girl of your dreams loved the stars.

But it turns out, she loves the starlight headliner of a Rolls-Royce.

"With President Wang’s resources, buying a Phantom should be no trouble at all."

Qi Sheng crossed his legs comfortably, also sipping the champagne in his glass.

"I can afford it, sure, but there’s just no need."

Wang Han shook his head with a smile. "President Qi, has the Banyan Tree Group ever considered fundraising? I happen to have some spare cash on hand."

"The Banyan Tree Group is in good financial health and has no short-term need for external financing."

Qi Sheng politely refused without a second thought.

"That’s a real shame."

Wang Han was a bit disappointed, but he understood Qi Sheng.

If he had a hotel group like that, he would definitely hold onto it tightly and not give anyone else a chance to get a piece of the pie.

As the Young Master of the Junyao Group, a local powerhouse, Wang Han made a few calls, and the property transfer was fast-tracked.

He found a private kitchen, where Wang Han warmly hosted them.

Seeing Qu Man clutching the big red property deed, unable to put it down and looking as if she’d been dazed by a wave of happiness, Qi Sheng shook his head helplessly and continued to exchange toasts with Wang Han.

After a few rounds of drinks, Wang Han heard that Qi Sheng had started a venture capital firm.

Moreover, he’d poached a top gun from Blackstone to run it, which immediately piqued his interest.

"Ah Sheng, this Jinshi Capital of yours, how much are you looking to raise?"

"The tentative target is 5 billion. I’m personally contributing 1 billion, and we’re raising 4 billion externally."

"You’re putting in that much yourself?"

Wang Han was taken aback for a moment, his interest growing even stronger.

"What are your management fees and carry (performance-based cut)?"

Qi Sheng didn’t seem to mind, casually explaining Jinshi Capital’s fundraising model.

"We’re running a short-term fund with a five-year duration."

"If the DPI is less than 1, we waive the management fee and guarantee our limited partners a minimum return dividend at a 12% annualized rate."

"If the DPI equals 2, we charge a 2% management fee and a 20% carry."

"If the DPI equals 5, we charge a 5% management fee and a 50% carry."

"If the DPI is greater than 8, we only charge a capped 8% management fee and an 80% carry."

After hearing Qi Sheng’s explanation, Wang Han’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

Generally speaking, a DPI (Distributions to Paid-in Capital) of 1 meant that the LPs (Limited Partners) had just gotten their initial investment back.

Only when the DPI was greater than 1 did the LPs see any excess returns.

But in reality, the vast majority of VC firms struggled to even reach a DPI of 1.

"Ah Sheng, are you really that confident in yourself?"

"Of course."

Qi Sheng laughed and retorted, "If I wasn’t confident, why would I be in venture capital?"

"Haha, that’s true."

After laughing, Wang Han fell into deep thought.

Qi Sheng didn’t disturb him, instead whispering quietly with Qu Man.

From the blush on Qu Man’s face, it was easy to see that Qi Sheng’s request had made her a little shy and flustered.

A few minutes later, Wang Han finally made his decision.

"Ah Sheng, Brother Wang is entrusting this 500 million to you!"

Putting up this 500 million would leave Wang Han with only a few luxury mansions and just over 70 million that was on its way.

"Brother Wang, are you sure?"

Qi Sheng was also surprised, looking at Wang Han with some astonishment.

"Haha, I trust in your abilities, Ah Sheng. My 500 million is safe with you."

"This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a gambling-style fundraising model like this. It shows you have confidence in yourself."

Wang Han said with a chuckle, "And in the worst-case scenario, you can still give me a 12% annualized return, which is way better than any wealth management product I could buy."

"Then here’s to us making a fortune together!"

Qi Sheng smiled, extended his hand, and shook Wang Han’s.

He hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise.

No wonder everyone wanted to squeeze into the circles of the rich.

It really was easy to facilitate business partnerships with one another.

"Oh, right. I have a friend who’s also sitting on a lot of cash. He’s been holding onto it tightly, too afraid to invest it rashly. I’ll call him over now."

After saying that, Wang Han dialed a number.

With just a few sentences, he had the person on their way over.

By the time the person arrived, the dinner was almost over.

"Old Wang, you wait until you’re done eating to call me? What’s the big idea?"

Xu Yi grumbled as he glared at Wang Han, clearly annoyed with his "good-for-nothing" friend.

"Haha, it’s your own fault for being such a homebody. Let me introduce you. This is Qi Sheng, Chairman of the Banyan Tree Group."

"That Banyan Tree where you’ve booked a suite? That’s a Banyan Tree Group brand."

"President Qi, this is Xu Yi. He’s a huge otaku and the founder of Bilibili."

Wang Han said with a smile, introducing the two.

"A while ago, he pledged a portion of his shares. He’s sitting on a conservative estimate of 500 million in cash."

"Stop hyping me up. You’re the rich young master from a powerful family. I can’t compare to you."

"President Qi, hello. It’s an honor to meet you."

Xu Yi wasn’t tall and had an unremarkable appearance.

But he was the founder of Bilibili, a paradise for China’s otaku community.

"I’ll give the Banyan Tree a call later and have them upgrade President Xu’s room."

"Haha, in that case, I won’t say no to that."

Qi Sheng smiled and shook Xu Yi’s hand. After they both sat down, they exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Old Xu, don’t say your big brother doesn’t look out for you. President Qi started a VC firm and poached a top gun from Blackstone to manage it."

"I’ve already invested 500 million, and President Qi himself invested 1 billion."

"How about you invest 500 million too, just as a small token?"

Wang Han put his arm around Xu Yi’s shoulder, enthusiastically trying to sell him on the idea for Qi Sheng.

"Well, I’ll be. You call me this late at night just to get me to invest?"

Xu Yi shot Wang Han an amused glare.

When he turned to Qi Sheng, however, his expression became very serious.

"President Qi, what’s the duration of your company’s fund, and what’s your investment focus..."

This was a 500 million investment, after all; Xu Yi naturally couldn’t make a decision lightly.

After he finished listening to Qi Sheng’s explanation, his expression was much the same as Wang Han’s had been.

’Is this President Qi for real? He’s not a con artist, is he?’

Ever since he’d pledged some of his shares and come into over 500 million in cash, fund managers had been visiting him every day, wanting him to become a limited partner in the funds they were raising.

The more Xu Yi learned, the more hesitant he became to invest rashly.

But after hearing Qi Sheng’s pitch, Xu Yi found it hard not to be tempted.

A guaranteed 12% annualized return.

Even large trust funds wouldn’t dare make such a promise.

Not to mention, the management fees and carry increased on a tiered basis.

This showed that Qi Sheng had immense confidence in his own venture capital firm.

Most importantly, Qi Sheng was personally contributing 1 billion, which was 20% of the total fund.

That was far more reassuring to Xu Yi than those stingy fund managers who would, at most, only put up 5% themselves.

Xu Yi didn’t expect Jinshi Capital’s DPI to actually reach over 8x.

Even if it was only 2x, he would still make a killing.

Of course, Qi Sheng’s own capabilities were the most crucial factor.

As a die-hard fan of Banyan Tree, Xu Yi wasn’t even interested in buying a mansion.

He lived in the hotel every day, and the service and quality of sleep he enjoyed were even more comfortable than being at home.

The reputation of the Banyan Tree Group alone was enough to make him feel at ease entrusting his money to Qi Sheng’s VC firm.

"President Qi, just like Old Wang, I’m willing to be a limited partner in Jinshi Capital. I’ll invest 500 million, too."

Xu Yi dared to be so impulsive because his confidence stemmed from the soaring market value of Bilibili.

Although Bilibili’s current market cap was just over 5 billion US Dollars, Xu Yi was extremely confident in its future.

In the future, its market cap would reach at least 30 billion US Dollars.

Even after subtracting his pledged shares, his remaining stake would still be worth several billion US Dollars.

Even if the DPI didn’t reach 1, the 12% annualized return alone was enough to leave Xu Yi completely satisfied.

"Then here’s to a pleasant partnership."

Qi Sheng smiled and shook Xu Yi’s hand, feeling quite pleased himself.

He’d come to Shanghai to buy Qu Man a house and had incidentally completed 1 billion in fundraising on the side.

With the 1 billion from Wang Han and Xu Yi, plus the system’s 1 billion investment quota, acquiring Pop Mart would no longer be a problem.

The Pop Mart project alone would be enough to let Jinshi Capital’s DPI easily exceed 10x.

For Qi Sheng, who had a god’s-eye view, why would he need to take shots in the dark like other investors?

All the companies with future potential were clearly etched in his mind.

’To me, this isn’t investing at all. It’s practically picking up free money!’