"Zhao," Elon Musk started, "You said that you do not seek Board of Directors Seat's interests and do not interfere in operations."
Zhao Chen nodded. "Yes. I said that."
Elon Musk asked again, "You will not transfer the shares to anyone? You will not sell them to those who want to enter Board of Directors?"
Zhao Chen said, "I can promise that I will not transfer any shares before SpaceX is listed.
If I want to sell it after it is listed, I will give priority to selling it to you or a related party you designate.
I will not allow anyone who is unfriendly to pass me onto the SpaceX shareholder list."
Elon Musk looked at him and was silent for a long time. Then he smiled.
"You, the way you do things are very similar to me."
Zhao Chen did not answer the call.
Elon Musk said, "Okay. I will help you contact them. There are several early investors, and I roughly know their situation.
If the price is right, they should sell it. But I have a condition."
Zhao Chen Waiting for him to continue.
Elon Musk said, "You cannot sell these shares to anyone.
If you want to exit, sell it to me. The price is based on the fair market price at that time.
I don't want to wake up one day and find out that a certain Hedge Fund got SpaceX shares through you and then turned against me on Board of Directors."
Zhao Chen stood up and extended his hand. "Deal."
Elon Musk held his hand a little harder than before.
"Zhao, do you know what you are doing? SpaceX is still losing money.
Starship may take ten years to fly. The money you invest may not see a return in ten years."
Zhao Chen said, "I know."
Elon Musk looked at him, with something indescribable in his eyes. "Aren't you afraid of losing?"
Zhao Chen thought for a while and said the truth. "Afraid. But I'm more afraid of missing out."
Elon Musk was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
He let go and glanced at his watch.
"I have a meeting at three o'clock. Zhao, please ask Lawyer Lin to contact my team for the specific terms.
Existing Shares Over there, I'll have someone compile a list for you. You decide which people are worth contacting."
Zhao Chen nodded. "Okay."
Elon Musk walked to the door, suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Zhao, there's something I want to ask you."
Zhao Chen looked at him.
Elon Musk said, "Why do you believe in me so much? Tesla, Starship - these two things, 99% of people in the world think I will fail."
Zhao Chen thought for a while, and then said something he had been thinking about for a long time.
"Because you are Elon Musk. Others fail because they don't know what they are doing.
You fail because you are doing something that others dare not do. These two things are different.
And--you think in terms of First Principles.
As long as you're using this method, you can't go too far wrong."
Elon Musk looked at him and was silent for two seconds.
Then he smiled, turned around, opened the door and walked out.
The moment the door closed, Zhao Chen leaned back on the chair and took a long breath.
His heart is beating very fast.
It wasn't because he was nervous, but because at that moment, he was almost certain that Elon Musk had seen through something in him.
It's not identity, it's not the source of funds, it's the certainty of "I know what will happen in the future."
But Elon Musk didn't ask.
Maybe he thought it was genius intuition.
Maybe he thought that was a judgment made after in-depth research.
Maybe he just didn't want to ask.
Regardless, the result is the same - he gets his ticket to SpaceX.
It's not 100 million US Dollar, it's more.
For those early investors who came in in 2012, their cost may only be a few US Dollar shares.
If they are willing to sell, he is willing to pay a premium of 30% to 50% to the current valuation.
30% to 50% is not enough? Then double it. Twice it.
As long as he can get enough credit, any high premium will be worth it.
Because he knows that SpaceX in ten years will not be about 43 billion US Dollar.
It's 430 billion, or even more.
Lin Shicheng walked in from the next room, holding a notebook in his hand. "Mr. Zhao, how was the conversation?"
Zhao Chen smiled. "Very good. Better than I expected."
He stood up and walked to the window.
Hudson River was shining in the sun, and several sailboats were slowly passing by on the river.
He picked up his phone and sent a message to Zhang Qingxue:
"The conversation is over. There is an unexpected gain.
On SpaceX's side, Elon Musk gave me 100 million US Dollar's new share quota.
In addition, he is willing to help me contact Existing Shares Dong and purchase the shares from them at a premium.
The price can be up to twice the current valuation. Make preparations there, and the funds must be in place."
Zhang Qingxue replied with one word in seconds, "Okay."
Then he added another one, "Twice the valuation? Xiao Chen, are you too aggressive?"
Zhao Chen looked at this message and smiled.
He replied, "Not radical. SpaceX is worth the price."
Zhao Chen did not return to the room immediately after returning to the hotel from the club.
He was sitting on the sofa in the hotel lobby, holding the cup of cold tea in his hand, and his mind was still thinking about the things he just talked about with Elon Musk--
SpaceX's new share quota, premium acquisition of Existing Shares, initial investment of 100 million US Dollar, and possibly more.
He took out his mobile phone and sent a message to Lin Shicheng:
"Lawyer Lin, are you free? Come to my room. I have something to discuss with you."
Ten minutes later, Lin Shicheng appeared at the door of Zhao Chen's room.
He changed into casual clothes, but still held the iconic Briefcase in his hand.
"Mr. Zhao, how was the conversation?" Lin Shicheng sat down and opened Briefcase.
Zhao Chen briefly explained the situation of the meeting with Elon Musk just now.
SpaceX's financing, 100 million US Dollar's new share quota, and the possibility of acquiring it from Existing Shares's owners at a premium.
Lin Shicheng listened very carefully and took notes in his notebook from time to time.
"One more thing." Zhao Chen said,
"I originally planned to return to China tomorrow, but now things at SpaceX have just begun, and I can't just leave like this.
I need to extend my visa. Is there any way?"
Lin Shicheng leaned back on the chair and thought for a while.
"Mr. Zhao, you are currently holding a B1/B2 business visa. There are two ways to extend your stay."
He opened his notebook and wrote while talking. "The first option, which we have talked about before, is to submit Form I-539 to Immigration and Naturalization Service in United States to apply for an extension of stay.
The second way - the same as the last time - is to leave the country and then re-enter.
If you go to Canada or Mexico for a few days and then re-enter, the customs will give you a new period of stay.
But you have just returned from a week at Toronto, and if you leave and re-enter the country again in a short period of time, the customs may question your true purpose."
Zhao Chen frowned.
Lin Shicheng is right. He just came back from Toronto on March 11, and the customs only allowed him a seven-day stay.
If he leaves the country and re-enters the country again, the customs is likely to suspect that he is "extending his period of stay."
"Is there a third way?" Zhao Chen asked.
Lin Shicheng thought for a while, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
"Yes. Mr. Zhao, you just said that Elon Musk invited you to participate in SpaceX's financing?"
Zhao Chen nodded.
Lin Shicheng said, "If SpaceX - which is United States's company -
Send you a formal business invitation letter stating that you have specific business activities to be processed in United States. Customs will usually grant you a reasonable period of stay.
This is not a 'fashion of stay', but a real business extension.
The B1 visa was originally designed for business activities, and participating in investments in U. S. companies is a completely legitimate business purpose."
Zhao Chen asked, "How feasible is it?"
Lin Shicheng said, "Very high. As long as SpaceX's Legal Department issues a formal invitation letter stating that you are participating in SpaceX's financing negotiations,
How long is the expected stay? You can take this letter to the customs office to apply for an extension, or show it when you re-enter. The customs has no reason to refuse."
He paused and added:
"Moreover, your current identity is the actual controller of 'Era Vanguard' - a fund that holds nearly 10% of the shares of Tesla.
The correlation between SpaceX and Tesla is very strong, and your investment behavior itself is a legitimate business activity.
This reason is stronger than any excuse."