"Tai... TSMC!?"

When President Bi heard these three words, his mind buzzed, and it took him a moment to process.

"TSMC’s CEO is acting as an intermediary for you? And even coming personally to discuss a deal with you?"

"Yes, you heard right." Qi Yun nodded calmly.

Since that batch of EUV lithography machines was still under the highest level of confidentiality, only a very few people were involved, so it was normal for outsiders, like President Bi, to be unaware of the connection between Qi Yun and Wei Zhe.

"Damn." President Bi smacked his lips, uncharacteristically showing a crude side in front of anyone other than his secretary, "You’ve got such strong connections now?"

TSMC is different from other big companies, as there’s no individual meddling in its operations; the main decision-making power is held by a team of professional managers.

So Wei Zhe essentially represents the will of TSMC, and many wealthy businesspeople and politicians are eager but helpless to connect with him.

This was evident from when Qi Yun initially went to Taiwan, hoping to meet him, but could only "偶遇" him at a temple.

"I’ve only had a few dealings with Mr. Wei, it’s not as deep as you think."

Qi Yun waved his hand to explain, "The reason he’s willing to help this time is mainly because that person from Everlasting is also looking to sell his equity, and they have a good personal friendship." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

President Bi took a deep breath, trying to calm his shock: "Even so, to have Wei Zhe personally step in as an intermediary means you have quite the clout, especially since he’s the one coming over here to see you..."

"If Wei Zhe himself is making the connection, then what I said about the transaction takes on a different significance."

He pondered for a moment, his expression becoming serious as he carefully analyzed, "Everlasting Marine’s current market value is about 35 billion USD, 12% equity is 4.2 billion USD, but since it’s a private transfer, such transactions usually come with a premium..."

"Considering Everlasting Marine’s stable profit-making ability and the uniqueness of this transaction, I’d suggest a quote between 4.4 to 4.6 billion USD."

Upon hearing this number, Qi Yun was taken aback; it was much higher than he had anticipated.

After investing 2 billion into Dawn Technology, he only had over 3.2 billion in cash left, and that’s in RMB.

While that number might seem small compared to those with assets worth hundreds of billions, most of that wealth is tied up in fixed assets and equity valuations, not liquid cash.

To be able to mobilize over 3 billion in cash at any time, in J Province, there probably aren’t more than a handful, so Qi Ting is indeed quite powerful.

President Bi saw his furrowed brow and could more or less guess the reason. After contemplating briefly, he offered a suggestion: "I noticed your game company is doing quite well, you might consider using the equity as collateral, or selling a portion of the equity to bring in investors, which should raise a significant amount of cash."

Qi Yun thought for a moment and found the suggestion feasible.

However, bringing in investors wasn’t an option; the gaming company would be a cash cow for a long time, and both the team and operations are on track, requiring almost no oversight. He didn’t want anyone interfering at the moment.

Using it as collateral seemed more feasible.

Recently, he had just helped Tian Yaosheng rise to the position of Deputy Branch Manager in the provincial branch, and now it was time for him to reciprocate, just a matter of how much could be maneuvered...

"Actually, I’m quite optimistic about this transaction too. If you’re willing, let’s discuss with Old Ye about temporarily mortgaging the diamond mine in South Africa, it could potentially bring in 300 million USD..."

"For the remaining shortfall... you have a good relationship with that person from the Fu Family, right? I suggest you ask if they’re interested; with their scale, raising 30 or 40 billion wouldn’t be a problem," President Bi offered another perspective.

This kind of commercial operation is common in the market; after all, the transaction amounts are vast, and strong alliances are essential for mutual success.

"Pop~"

Qi Yun picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, and took a deep puff before slowly speaking: "Hmm, I’ll ponder on it, money isn’t the issue. There’s just a temporary shortfall, but I can figure out how to gather it."

"As for the diamond mine... you can discuss with Ye Hanwen, if both you and him want to get involved, you can also consider it a share."

President Bi’s eyes lit up: "That’s great! I’ll ask Old Ye later, I reckon he thinks the same as I do."

"Everlasting Marine’s stock and annual dividends are very stable, and I believe buying these shares is worthwhile, and even if there’s a need to cash out in the future, these shares will be very much sought after in the capital market."

Qi Yun nodded: "Hmm, I think so too."

"Let’s settle this then, you’ll attend the negotiation the day after tomorrow."

"No problem!" President Bi agreed immediately.

...

After leaving the jewelry company, Qi Yun sat in the car, contemplating the funding issue.

He had 3.2 billion in hand, the diamond mine could be mortgaged for 300 million USD, roughly 2.1 billion; that 12% equity transaction price would be between 31.1 billion to 32.5 billion.

Still about 2.7 billion short...

First, ask Tian Yaosheng about how much could be procured and what the interest rate would be. If it wasn’t suitable, then approach Fu Wentao, or the father-in-law.

The latter controls a private equity firm with assets also in the hundreds of billions, also quite powerful.

Having sorted this out in his mind, Qi Yun immediately returned to the company, instructing Xiang Xiaoyue to prepare a detailed financial report and future revenue projection, as these were essential materials for applying for a loan.

Xiang Xiaoyue was very efficient, placing a thick stack of materials on Qi Yun’s desk in under an hour.

"Boss..."

Qi Yun was going through the documents and noticed her hesitance, as if she had something to say: "What’s up? Speak freely."