144: Chapter 144 Hundred Billion Compensation

Van Dijk hurriedly stood up to shake his hand, though his eyes kept darting toward the people behind Huang Tianya...

There were quite a few of them, and some even had bulging pockets, which presumably contained "the truth."

"Mr. Huang, the scenery in New York is quite nice. Hahaha..."

Huang Tianya smiled and sat down opposite him. Van Dijk's inner anxiety, masked by a forced display of enthusiasm, made him realize that the deal was in the bag.

"Mr. Van Dijk, shall we get straight to business? To be honest, my schedule is quite tight; several other investment banks have appointments with me today."

Huang Tianya rolled up his sleeves and glanced at his watch. A staff member accompanying him immediately leaned in to whisper in his ear.

Van Dijk became even more nervous. Without beating around the bush, he spoke directly:

"Naspers wants to acquire a 20% stake in each of AfriLink, T-pay, and BeatFlow."

Huang Tianya looked at him, thinking that he certainly had a good eye.

As the only online payment company under the Huaxin umbrella in Africa, T-pay currently has only 22 million registered users. However, thanks to the resources behind it (the only payment channel for Transsion game centers in Africa), its monthly transaction volume can reach 1 to 1.5 billion USD.

In terms of revenue, it relies mainly on transaction fees, with monthly profits guaranteed at 20 million USD, and annual profits capable of reaching 300 million USD.

Payment companies currently command a high premium. Based on these figures, Huang Tianya valued it at 9 billion USD.

It wasn't that he was asking for an exorbitant price, but rather that this was the standard for payment companies; Sequoia and IDG had already accepted this valuation.

They were ready to get on board.

The worst of the lot was BeatFlow, with 45 million registered users, but its revenue was still in a loss-making phase...

Its premium was slightly lower.

But the black-hearted Old Huang didn't care whether it was losing money or not. As long as they were buying, they had to pay his price: 2 billion USD, non-negotiable...

"What is your valuation?"

Van Dijk looked at the casual Huang Tianya and the Huaxin team, who were constantly communicating, and realized this was his last chance.

He stated his highest price directly, holding up several fingers...

"AfriLink is valued at 7 billion USD, and T-pay is valued at 6 billion USD."

Huang Tianya remained expressionless, simply nodding.

"In other words, you need to pay a total of 2.6 billion."

Van Dijk nodded: "Cash or other resources are both acceptable. This includes the Tencent shares you want most, Mr. Huang; everything is negotiable."

Just when he thought the situation was settled, Huang Tianya closed the valuation report Van Dijk had handed him and tossed it back onto the table.

"T-pay is not for sale..."

Van Dijk's eyes widened immediately; this wasn't the script he had imagined.

He had even offered to trade Tencent shares—assets with huge potential that were far more valuable than paper-like USD. Shouldn't Huang have agreed immediately?

But now, why... why was it so different from what he had imagined?

"Mr. Huang, there is nothing in this world that cannot be sold; it's just a matter of whether the value has been met. I don't know what your valuation for AfriLink is. 7 billion was just our offer; can't we negotiate?"

Van Dijk hurriedly adjusted his demeanor, his face plastered with a fawning smile...

Huang Tianya was silent for a few seconds, then he laughed...

"Mr. Van Dijk, if this were last month, this valuation would be perfectly fine, but do you know what The Wall Street Journal is writing now?"

"AfriLink's valuation can now be seen reaching ten billion, and in the long run, even a hundred billion."

Huang Tianya looked at his team behind him, then turned his head back.

"You're offering 7 billion; isn't that a bit low?"

Van Dijk was not intimidated.

"Mr. Huang, media reports are media reports, and actual valuation is actual valuation. 7 billion USD, which can be exchanged for Tencent shares, is already a very sincere price."

What Van Dijk didn't say was that those unscrupulous media outlets would write anything for the sake of a headline... especially in the United States, a country full of "freedom."

As long as there's money, even a trash company can be hyped up to ten billion.

Huang Tianya nodded, and another member behind him leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

"Alright, it's a matter of time. I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. I'll give you a sincere price; if you agree, we agree, if not, we walk."

Van Dijk watched as an excited expression appeared on his face.

"Huaxin can give up a 30% stake in AfriLink, 20% in T-pay, and 20% in BeatFlow."

Van Dijk's breathing instantly quickened.

"30%!"

The AfriLink founding team still held 20%. If Huaxin gave up 30%, it meant Huaxin would only have 50% left. They would completely lose controlling interest, and at the same time, the three parties would temporarily reach a delicate balance.

"The condition is..."

Van Dijk became vigilant.

"Naspers still holds 25% of Tencent shares. Your company needs to use 18% of those shares to exchange for a 30% stake in AfriLink, a 20% stake in T-pay, and a 20% stake in BeatFlow."

Van Dijk was stunned.

He knew Huang Tianya was ruthless, but he didn't expect them to be this ruthless.

After all, the report Huang Tianya handed over showed that Tencent's current valuation was 37 billion USD, and 18% was approximately 6.66 billion USD.

AfriLink's valuation was 10 billion USD, so 30% was 3 billion USD. T-pay's valuation was 9 billion USD, so 20% was 1.8 billion USD. BeatFlow's valuation was 2 billion USD, so 20% was 400 million USD.

Plus the loss caused by Huaxin Investment losing its controlling position, it totaled 6.66 billion...

"Mr. Huang, this proposal is absolutely impossible."

Van Dijk calculated for a long time before finally squeezing out those words. Putting aside how much water was in those three companies' valuations, just that 1.46 billion USD compensation—approximately 10.1 billion Chinese currency—was not how business was done anywhere in the world.

The price difference was too large.

"Mr. Huang," Van Dijk spoke again, "this price is clearly not equal. With the rapid development of China, Tencent's market value will definitely reach a trillion in the future. If I agree to these terms, it will go down in history—and be laughed at by all future investors forever."

Although there was a smile on Van Dijk's face, he was clearly not that happy.

After all, everyone was a shrewd person; being played for a fool, even if the other party had what he wanted, wouldn't make him feel very good.

Huang Tianya just watched him lose his mind quietly. This was the only proposal; agree and they would continue talking, disagree and he would move on to the next one.

He would agree with whoever offered the highest valuation.

What happened just now wasn't an attempt to intimidate him; there really were appointments...

He had already announced that for the 35 surviving companies, he would only retain a 35% stake in each, and sell everything else.

As long as someone had the ability, they could buy up 45% directly; with a little maneuvering, they could achieve controlling interest.

After the other party complained for quite a while, he looked at Van Dijk and said: "Mr. Van Dijk, you keep saying Tencent's valuation is a trillion; AfriLink can achieve the same. So, you shouldn't be calculating the current price, but the future price. I believe you have the capability, and we have the capability. Believe me, AfriLink will definitely create a new wealth myth."