Chapter 1190 It Can't Defeat Me

Charles's words only further confused Watkins, who asked in a quivering voice, "If the company was running at a loss for such a long period, why has its market value been increasing so significantly?"

"All this can be attributed to the capital," Charles responded with a mysterious smile.

His reply echoed in Watkins's mind for quite a while.

With the mention of capital, Watkins felt as if Charles had opened a door to a whole new world for him, and he was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed emotions. But soon, he felt like a pot of piercing cold water had been poured on him when Charles said, "But it is extremely difficult for Info Newspaper to successfully build a portal. Or at least, the likelihood of success isn't high for the time being."

"Why?" Watkins asked immediately.

Charles shook his head, feeling pity for Info Newspaper. "First of all, to realize the transformation, Info Newspaper will have to go through a hard time. I don't think Info Newspaper will be able to survive through the hardships. In addition, the current decision-making process of Info Newspaper is too slow. It takes 10 to 15 days to approve an important decision. This decision-making mechanism might work for print media, but if it is used in the internet industry, I don't think..." Charles trailed off with a sneer, which angered Watkins.

"At present, the decision-making cycle of our company is the shortest among all print media organizations. Our leaders delegate much of their power to their subordinates. For instance, it only took us a little more than half a month to decide whether to accept Kent's investment or not. Is such decision-making slow?" Watkins retorted.

Staring at Watkins sympathetically, Charles replied, "I really doubt that Kent will be able to recover the cost of his investment if this is the way Info Newspaper looks at the internet tidal wave."

Before Watkins could refute him, Charles added, "Let me give you an example. You've suddenly found that your rival has launched a new column you've never seen before, and this column attracts a lot of users. In this case, the management of Info Newspaper will have to decide whether to make any adjustment based on the rival's changes, but to make this adjustment, a certain amount of funds will have to be invested. Based on the existing system of Info Newspaper, how long do you think it will take to make a decision concerning the adjustment?"

Watkins groaned. "If only a small amount of money is needed for the adjustment, we will report to the Science and Technology Association, which will convene a meeting to negotiate with the Propaganda Department of Mountain City. Once a conclusion is reached at this meeting, it will be reported to the leaders of the Science and Technology Association and the Propaganda Department for examination and a

rtment would have transferred all their shares to Kent if Kent had negotiated with them in the way that Charles did.

Throwing a glance at the hesitant Watkins, Charles continued, "If you can convince the management to transfer their 5% of shares to me, I promise to give you 1% options."

Upon hearing Charles's promise of 1% options, Watkins abruptly raised his head. Charles casually added, "With the options, you will earn 30 to 40 million dollars at least after Info Newspaper is listed, even if its market value is merely 10% of that of Xina Corporation and its shares are diluted by new investors. Just think about it. How much higher than your current salary will the earnings be?"

Tempted by this enormous amount of profits, Watkins couldn't conceal his excitement and his eyes turned completely red before he asked, "Then, how will you make sure that Info Newspaper will be listed? I feel like I'll be betting on a possibility if I accept this deal."

Charles replied with a smile, "You're right. This really is a bet. But I am an investor rather than a speculator. Hence, I will try my best to minimize the risks. I have abundant experience in getting a company to be listed. Why would I want to invest in Info Newspaper if I wasn't confident about the success of the investment?"

Noticing that Watkins was still hesitant, Charles didn't try to coerce him any further. Instead, he said with a smile, "Well, just think over my suggestion carefully after going back. You can also talk to the management about my suggestion. Anyway, what I'm offering you is a great deal. I'm not worried that what we've talked about would be exposed. If I lose this chance to invest in Info Newspaper, I will seek opportunities to invest in its rivals. Then, even if Info Newspaper tries to compete with me, there is no way it can defeat me with its current decision-making mechanism."