Top of the big era

After several months of preparation, when Zhou Buqi openly proposed his plan to acquire Yahoo as a whole, there was complete progress in every aspect.

At least Yang Zhiyuan did not object fiercely and showed a non-committal attitude.

That's a good start.

You know, when Masayoshi Son led SoftBank a few months ago and organized a large consortium to acquire Yahoo as a whole, Yang Zhiyuan was still clearly opposed.

In terms of personal relationships, the relationship between Yang Zhiyuan and Son Zhengyi is obviously better. They have been friends for more than 20 years.

However, the attitude shown in facing the acquisition offer is obviously more friendly to Zhou Buqi.

In this process, the employer faction represented by Carl Icahn, who was involved behind the scenes, also helped Zhou Buqi a lot. If they hadn't been constantly disrupting things behind the scenes, pushing Yang Zhiyuan and his direct team to the cliff with no way out, they might not have found such a good opportunity.

Either, jump off the cliff; or, grab the olive branch thrown by Ziweixing International.

The lesser of two evils.

This makes the choice easy.

However, Yang Zhiyuan couldn't decide on such a big matter and had to go back to discuss it with more people.

Zhou Buqi was not in a hurry.

Boss Ma will be here tomorrow.

This is another lobbyist.

If that doesn’t work, bring in Son Zhengyi!

Yang Zhiyuan is originally an Asian-Chinese, and opinions from Asia can have a great influence on his decision-making.

Before leaving, Zhou Buqi suddenly thought of something, "By the way, are you free tonight?"

Yang Zhiyuan smiled, "I'm retired, what can I do?"

Zhou Buqi said: "Would you like to go to Los Angeles to watch a show?"

"Watching a show?" Yang Zhiyuan was slightly startled, but he quickly thought of "The Peony Pavilion", which has recently caused quite a stir in the American entertainment industry, "Is it Kunqu Opera?"

Zhou Buqi smiled and said, "The team of "The Peony Pavilion" has finished touring on the West Coast and is now going to New York. There will be other operas performed at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles tonight. Yue Opera, do you know?"

"I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it."

Yang Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, and then he said that Jack Ma was a theater fan, but he was obsessed with Peking Opera. Several times when he went to China, Jack Ma invited him to watch Peking Opera performances.

Zhou Buqi said: "That's good, let's go and see it together. I haven't seen it either."

Yang Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Have you become fond of traditional drama recently?"

Zhou Buqi sighed, "I always deal with money, and I feel that my whole spirit has been lowered. Drama is good, it is a kind of sublimation."

Yang Zhiyuan was free anyway, so he went.

Zhou Buqi was accompanied by sisters Yaxian and Yameng, as well as Wen Zhixia, Sun Wanran, and Ning Lu. They took their children and their entire family by plane to Los Angeles.

Tonight's Yue Opera is "Celebrity Version of Butterfly Lovers".

The so-called star version means that almost all domestic Yue opera stars have participated in the performance of this show, striving to create a Yue opera work that can have international influence.

The benchmark is the Kunqu Opera "Youth Version of the Peony Pavilion" which has been successfully toured overseas.

This version of "Butterfly Lovers" has been greatly revised and innovated. In addition to redesigning the lighting, stage design, costumes and props, it also accelerated the soundtrack of the violin concerto.

Very innovative.

The design in many details looks very "foreign".

This is a major feature of Yue opera that distinguishes it from traditional drama. This thing originally became popular during the Shanghai era a hundred years ago, and it has a strong combination of Chinese and Western elements.

At that time, Peking Opera dominated the world, but people in Jiangnan preferred local traditional operas. The threshold for Kun Opera was too high, and then the Yue Opera craze broke out as a new type of opera.

It was precisely because Yue Opera swept the south of the Yangtze River and put Kun Opera into an endangered situation that later generations of calligraphers appeared to save the art of Kun Opera.

Since Zhou Buqi has set his sights on the traditional art industry, he can't just focus on Kun Opera.

It just so happened that the Yue Opera Troupe was also touring in the United States.

You might as well go and have a look.

After watching it, I thought it was good, but not as good as "Youth Edition of The Peony Pavilion". It was not shocking and impactful enough, and it was far from achieving the feeling of being in a different world.

It can also be seen from the heat at the scene.

After the performance of "The Peony Pavilion for Youth" ended, the foreign audience went crazy, and they were completely in a state of worship. Although the theater of "Celebrity Butterfly Lovers" was packed with seats, it was completely different from the scene where many domestic singers come to perform concerts abroad and ask for free tickets and pay people to come and listen.

But compared with "Youth Version of The Peony Pavilion", there is still a big gap.

Zhou Buqi did not show up after the performance.

In the theater, he saw an acquaintance - Liu Qiangdong, who came to the United States to study.

There is also a young and beautiful female companion beside him.

But it's not the one he was familiar with before.

These are all buddies, there is nothing to be vague about.

After watching the show, Zhou Buqi took his girlfriend Ning Lu with him and went to Liu Qiangdong's new home in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. Before that, Liu Qiangdong had to send his female companion back to school.

Only then did he realize that this was his classmate in school.

After sending the beauty back to the school dormitory, Zhou Buqi said with a smile: "Who is this? Your girlfriend?"

Liu Qiangdong said: "No, we are just classmates. We are from the same province, so we are half fellow villagers. We met in the school's hometown association, and we can be considered to take care of each other."

Zhou Buqi nodded, "It's quite beautiful."

Liu Qiangdong laughed, "What? Want to introduce me to you?"

As for the lady named Ning Lu next to me...

There is nothing to avoid.

Even Boss Zhou doesn't care, so there's nothing to worry about.

Zhou Buqi waved his hand quickly, "Forget it, a gentleman will not take away what others like!"

Liu Qiangdong was not polite to him and said with a smile: "When the weather gets warm next month, can you lend me your boat for a few days?"

Zhou Buqi couldn't laugh or cry, "You came to USC, are you really here to study? Is it to make up for the regrets you missed in college? Go to the theater with your female classmates to watch a play?"

Liu Qiangdong said: "Actually, I have had a dream since I was a child."

"What?"

"Open a boat shop and rent boats to make money."

"What kind of dream is this?"

Zhou Buqi felt a bit nondescript.

Liu Qiangdong recalled: "When I was a child, my family was very poor, but that was due to the times. My ancestors had many businessmen. Later, when reforms were implemented, my father responded to the country's call and started to be self-employed, bringing together relatives and fellow villagers around him. I borrowed everything and scraped together 2,000 yuan to buy a boat.”

Zhou Buqi heard him talk about some family matters, "Is it what happened later?"

Liu Qiangdong nodded, "Well, after I went to college, my family's conditions improved. My dad had a small fleet, paid off his debts, and the family became prosperous. But at that time, I felt that my dad My business model is not good, it is a small workshop model. I just want to be a boat shop and rent boats to more people like him. All the money he earns is used to buy new big boats, and there is no balance at all. My dad raised 2,000 The pressure I felt at that time to buy a boat for RMB 20 billion was greater than the pressure JD.com has now to borrow RMB 20 billion.”

Zhou Buqi said: "That's how it is. Family influence is the key factor for success. I am similar, and I am greatly influenced by my grandfather."

"Why are you talking about this..." Liu Qiangdong smiled and waved his hand, "You went to see Kun Opera in New York? It was reported in the media."

Zhou Buqi said "hmm" and said, ""Youth Edition of The Peony Pavilion" has some financial difficulties. I will investigate and help."

"What about Shaoxing opera?"

"Do some research first. If it's worth giving money, then you can give money."

"You can find Li Yanhong."

"he?"

Zhou Buqi raised his eyebrows.

Liu Qiangdong laughed and said, "Have you never heard him sing in an opera?"

Zhou Buqi shook his head.

Liu Qiangdong said: "I have heard of it. Once I went to his house and he sang a song in the middle of drinking. His level... is not bad at all, even semi-professional."

"real or fake?"

"He almost joined a theater troupe and became a professional actor in Jin Opera. However, influenced by his sister, he chose to take the college entrance examination. If you want to promote traditional theater culture, he will definitely be interested in participating."

"incredible……"

Zhou Buqi felt that maybe a group could be formed to do this, and at least Lao Ma and Lao Zhang would definitely participate.

After leaving Liu Qiangdong's house, Ning Lu had the opportunity to speak. She smiled and said, "Mr. Liu's female classmate is quite famous. She is a big V on Weibo."

Zhou Buqi said amusedly: "Really?"

Ning Lu said: "An art student, studying directing. He is quite pretty, and he is not bad at being an actor."

Zhou Buqi waved his hand, "A gentleman does not take away what others like."

Ning Lu nodded lightly and said with a smile: "By the way, Wan Wan said that the secretariat is going to have a new secretary. He is only a freshman this year. He is here for internship. He is from Tsinghua University. Let's see if you agree or not."

"Tsinghua?" Zhou Buqi was a little surprised, "Girls from Tsinghua... don't have to choose the secretariat, right?"

Ning Lu chuckled and said, "She is also a Weibo celebrity. She has a beautiful voice and a sweet voice."