The Tyrant Billionaire

With the host's shout, the camera switched to the call center, where operators began to get busy.

Ten minutes later, the director reported that 80 orders had been placed. After twenty minutes, 200 orders were in. Half an hour later, 300 orders had been placed. After an hour, 500 orders were confirmed.

The male host shouted, "Alright, the price is now $88 per unit."

"Let's see if we can get it down to $78."

Two hours later, the director reported that 1,000 units had been sold. The three hosts cheered excitedly.

"The price is now $78 per unit."

After three hours, the number reached 2,000 units.

Four hours later, it hit 2,500 units, but the growth was slowing down.

A female host then remarked, "I just thought of something. What if someone intentionally orders two units or places an order without intending to buy them? Once the number reaches 3,000, the price will be $58 per unit."

The male host was taken aback and quickly covered the female host's mouth. "Take her away, quickly! She's a traitor to the station." The studio burst into laughter.

The audience seemed to be reminded of this tactic, and soon, many more calls came in, quickly pushing the order count to 3,000 units.

The male host looked dejected. "I didn't expect this. We actually reached 3,000 orders. At $58 per unit, this is the cost price. The company might have to cover the shipping costs. I set the price too low.

What do I do now? Will the boss fire me?"

The viewers, seeing the host's expression, became even more excited, making more calls. It felt like a game in which people joyfully participated.

When the television shopping segment ended, the host announced that a total of 3,656 orders had been placed, so the price per unit would indeed be $58, as agreed.

Those who bought the scooters felt victorious, as if they had defeated the greedy consortium and taken advantage of them.

Hardy received the report that the actual number of orders was around 2,500 units. Even at $58 per unit, many people believed it to be the cost price, unaware that Hardy had acquired the scooters at $38 each.

With a $20 profit per unit, today's earnings amounted to $50,000.

Andy approached Hardy to report on the stock market situation.

"Boss, Playboy magazine's stock price soared today, jumping from $24.5 to $31.2, significantly increasing your assets."

"I anticipated that," Hardy said with a smile.

"The two stocks I mentioned on the show, construction stock and civil stock, also saw substantial increases today, with each growing by over 3%."

"The military and defense stocks I mentioned, since I didn't specify which ones, saw a general decline today."

"It appears that our forecasts were correct. It does, in fact, have a major influence on the stock market, as this financial stock research demonstrates. Andy, keep it up."

"I will, boss," Andy replied.

Just as Andy left, Hardy received a call from MGM boss Meyer.

"Hardy, the movie 'Léon: The Professional' saw a huge increase in attendance today. Yesterday's attendance was only 40%, but today it surged to 80%. I watched yesterday's interview show, and it seems to have provided a great boost to the film, drawing more people to the theaters."

"I had a feeling, but I didn't expect it to work so well," Hardy said with a smile.

"Hardy, I watched the ABC program from start to finish yesterday. I have to say, it was very well done. I heard that NBC and CBS are feeling the pressure and held emergency meetings to discuss countermeasures. I think they'll try to gang up on you," Meyer said.

"That's normal. Competition leads to progress. But catching up to me might be a bit challenging for them. I still have a few aces up my sleeve," Hardy said confidently.

Meyer paused.

"Hardy, I want to buy a stake in ABC. How about 30% for $10 million? I can guarantee your absolute control over the network," Meyer said.

Hardy chuckled. "Mr. Meyer, you know that Paramount and Warner Brothers both called me before you did, wanting to buy ABC shares."

Hardy didn't reveal the details of those calls, but it was enough to put pressure on Meyer.

The Big Eight studios had always been competitors. Meyer didn't want to be surpassed by other film companies. Although Hardy's HD Films had done well, Meyer knew the true strength of HD Films. It was still far behind MGM.

He wasn't too worried about it.

But now, with Hardy's venture into ABC, his strength in the entertainment industry suddenly matched MGM's. If Hardy was wooed by other film companies, it would be a huge blow to MGM.

"What are your thoughts?" Meyer asked.

"MGM acquiring ABC shares isn't impossible, but there are a few conditions," Hardy said.

"Let's hear them."

"30% is too much. I'll sell a maximum of 20%. As for the price, as I mentioned before, 20% for $20 million. Mr. Meyer, you know that the other two networks aren't profitable, while my ABC can generate over $10 million in annual profits."

"The second condition is that MGM must cooperate with ABC. All MGM films will be broadcast on ABC, including 'Tom and Jerry.' Of course, ABC will pay for the usage of MGM's films."

"The third condition is that MGM must assist ABC in producing programs, including TV series, variety shows, cartoons, and more."

"The fourth condition involves newspapers. The Los Angeles Times is one of the top three newspapers in the U.S., second only to The New York Times and The Washington Post. If I can acquire a stake in the Los Angeles Times, I can use my shareholder status to foster collaboration between the Times and ABC, providing ABC with a steady news source."

"The fifth condition is that I want to run for president of the Actors Guild, for which Robert Montgomery term ends in November. I hope you will support me, Mr. Meyer."

After hearing Hardy's conditions, Meyer took a deep breath and said angrily, "Hardy, your price is too high."

Meyer was genuinely upset.

He felt Hardy's demands were excessive.

The Actors Guild is a massive organization, registering film actors, journalists, radio personalities, recording artists, singers, voice actors, and other media professionals. The president of the guild wields significant power.