OBS Chapter 1352 Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills
Chapter 1352 Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills
Chapter 1352 Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills
That evening, after returning to the hotel, Qin Hao called Xiao Ran and Yang Xun respectively to ask for their opinions on bringing in Old Master Wang as a new shareholder.
On the phone, as soon as Xiao Ran heard that the new shareholder was Liang Sichen's maternal grandfather, he immediately agreed: "President Lei, this is great news! Old Master Wang is experienced and has a wide network of contacts. With him joining, our project's funding and subsequent operations will be more secure. I have no objections!"
Yang Xun hesitated for a moment, and after hanging up Qin Hao's call, he immediately consulted with Dai Fengjiao. Dai Fengjiao carefully analyzed, "Although introducing a new shareholder will dilute our shares, Old Master Wang can bring a large amount of capital, so we won't have to worry about loans later, and the financial pressure will be greatly reduced. Moreover, with him around, the project will be more successful in policy coordination and business cooperation. In the long run, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."
Yang Xun thought this made sense, so he agreed to let Old Master Wang invest.
The most crucial issue right now is the distribution of equity.
Qin Hao made an appointment with the two over the phone: "Let's meet at the Peace Hotel at 10 a.m. tomorrow to discuss the equity issue in person."
The next morning, Xiao Ran and Yang Xun arrived at the Peace Hotel's private room early.
Xiao Ran was dressed in a sharp suit and held the latest budget sheet for the project in his hand, clearly well-prepared; Yang Xun, on the other hand, was somewhat restless, glancing at the door every now and then.
At 9:50, Old Master Wang rushed over. This time, he didn't bring Liang Sichen and her daughter, but only an assistant carrying a briefcase. The assistant was holding a thick stack of documents, clearly someone who had been working with the old man for many years.
As soon as he sat down, Old Master Wang got straight to the point, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "Since everyone agrees to my joining, let's get straight to the point. I plan to take a 30% stake in this project. As for the funding, I will have it in place within a month. If additional investment is needed later, I can also provide it."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran and Yang Xun's expressions changed drastically.
Yang Xun couldn't help but speak first, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "Old man, aren't you being a bit too greedy? The three of us had already agreed on the share distribution before, and now you're asking for 30%. How are we supposed to divide the rest?"
Old Master Wang glanced at Yang Xun with a hint of disdain in his eyes and slowly said, "Young Yang, you can't say that. According to the blueprints and plans for this project, 300 million is just the initial funding. From the start of construction to the final completion and operation, considering the rising prices of building materials and labor costs, it will take at least 1.5 billion. As far as I know, you have barely managed to raise the initial 90 million. Can you guarantee that the subsequent investments will keep up? Don't let your cash flow run out and delay the progress of the entire project."
Yang Xun retorted, his neck stiff, his tone somewhat forceful: "I will raise the 90 million yuan investment within a month. As for subsequent investments, we can take out bank loans. Moreover, my breeding farm and the 'Donghai No. 1' shopping mall can contribute a good cash flow every month, which will definitely not delay the project development!"
Old Master Wang pursed his lips, put down his teacup, and said in a domineering tone, "Doing business is about strong alliances, not just piecing things together. Whether it's connections or financial strength, I'm more qualified than you to get more shares."
In fact, long before going to Shenzhen, Mr. Wang had conducted a detailed investigation into Xiao Ran and Yang Xun through his connections in Hong Kong. At that time, he was not sure whether he wanted to invest in the mainland; he was just getting a feel for the situation.
After deciding to invest last night, he had in-depth discussions with his investment team and concluded that Xiao Ran, as the project initiator, held core land plots and had certain construction resources. It was clearly unrealistic to try to extract too many shares from him.
Qin Hao is the project leader, and Haoran International's strength is undeniable, so it's impossible for them to back down. The only one left is Yang Xun, who has the weakest foundation and only joined the project because of Qin Hao. Therefore, Qin Hao immediately set his sights on Yang Xun, intending to give him at most two or three percent of the shares as a favor to Qin Hao.
Yang Xun was speechless after being rebuked, opening his mouth but not knowing how to refute it; Xiao Ran sat aside indifferently, holding a teacup and pretending to drink tea. He knew very well that no matter how many shares Old Master Wang wanted, his shares would not be greatly affected, otherwise it would take a lot of time just to reacquire the land.
"Brother Hao..." Yang Xun had no choice but to look at Qin Hao for help, his eyes full of grievance.
Qin Hao gave Yang Xun a wink, signaling him to calm down, then looked at Old Master Wang, his tone calm yet firm: "Old Master, we can only offer you a maximum of 15% of the shares. We've already made detailed plans for this project, and there are multiple channels to secure funding. 15% of the shares is quite reasonable considering the capital and resources you've invested. If you're open to cooperation, we'll have our lawyers draft the contract now; if not, you'll have to find another project to invest in."
Old Master Wang's expression changed, clearly not expecting Qin Hao to be so disrespectful. He put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Lei, is there no room for negotiation?"
"Aren't we negotiating right now? 15% is the maximum concession we can offer." Qin Hao's tone remained calm, showing no sign of compromise.
Grandpa Wang suddenly stood up, grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, and was about to leave, muttering, "15% is too little, it's not worth all the effort I've put in!"
But Qin Hao said unhurriedly, "Grandpa, don't be too greedy. 15% of the shares is not a small amount. According to the expected returns of this project, the annual dividends after completion will not be a small amount. Moreover, the news of the development of Pudong has already spread. As long as you have money, there are suitable investment projects everywhere in Shanghai. You don't need to get hung up on this one project."
Mr. Wang stopped in his tracks. Qin Hao's words struck a chord with him. He was indeed optimistic about the development opportunities in Pudong, but the "tallest building in Shanghai" project was currently the most talked-about landmark project in Shanghai, and it would be a real pity to miss it.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then finally sat down again, his tone softening: "15% is still too little, it has to be at least 20%, that's my bottom line."
Qin Hao didn't say anything, but simply picked up his teacup and drank some tea, instantly lowering the atmosphere in the room to freezing point.
Seeing this, Yang Xun quickly tried to smooth things over: "Brother Hao, how about this, I'll take 10% of my shares, and you and President Xiao will each give up 5%, that way Old Master Wang can get 20% of the shares, and my financial pressure will be less, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran looked at Yang Xun with new respect—he had originally thought that Yang Xun would hold on to his shares tightly, but he hadn't expected that Yang Xun would be so good at assessing the situation at this critical moment and know how to sacrifice small interests to ensure the stability of the project. This kind of courage is not something that ordinary people can have.
Qin Hao looked at Xiao Ran: "President Xiao, do you have any opinions?"
Xiao Ran smiled and nodded: "I have no objection. As long as the project can proceed smoothly, giving up 5% of the shares is nothing. It's just that I'm sorry to trouble President Yang."
"Then it's settled. Let the lawyers re-draft the shareholding confirmation document," Qin Hao decided.
Soon, the new equity confirmation document was completed: Qin Hao held 35% of the shares and remained the largest shareholder of the project; Xiao Ran held 25% of the shares and retained the share of the core participants; Yang Xun and Grandpa Wang each held 20% of the shares.
After signing the confirmation form, the four people briefly clinked glasses to celebrate the successful cooperation.
Afterwards, Xiao Ran and Old Master Wang left one after the other with their respective assistants, but Yang Xun stayed behind. "Brother Hao, how was my acting just now? Did I fool the old man?"
Yang Xun moved closer to Qin Hao and asked with a smug look on his face, his previous aggrieved expression completely gone.
Qin Hao smiled and nodded: "Not bad, you've made great progress. It's a pity you're not an actor."
"That old man has quite a temper. He insisted on 30% at first. If it weren't for Miss Liang's sake, I wouldn't have given him so many shares," Yang Xun complained softly, his tone tinged with resentment.
Qin Hao rolled his eyes at him and said seriously, "How many times have I told you, business is business, and friendship is friendship. We gave up our shares because Mr. Wang can bring funds and resources to the project, and it has nothing to do with Miss Liang. Don't confuse these two things in the future."
"Uh... if you say no, then no..." Yang Xun muttered softly.
……
A month later, with 2.5 million yuan arriving in the bank, the "Shanghai Tower" project was officially launched.
Xiao Ran and Old Master Wang argued about the name of the building for an entire night.
Xiao Ran wanted to name it "Oriental Pearl Tower" because he felt that the name could reflect the regional characteristics of Shanghai.
Mr. Wang, however, wanted to name it "Global Financial Building," believing it would attract more foreign companies to move in.
The two refused to give in, but in the end Qin Hao made the decision: "Let's call it 'Shanghai Tower'."
"Central Building, Shanghai Tower, what a great name!" Xiao Ran exclaimed, slapping his thigh as he said, "This name has more depth than I expected; you can tell it's a core project in Shanghai just by hearing it!"
Grandpa Wang also gave a thumbs up, his face full of approval: "It is indeed a good name, full of ambition! If we're going to build one, we should build it as a central landmark of Shanghai, making this building a symbol of Shanghai!"
Seeing their excited expressions, Yang Xun was at a loss for words and could only keep saying, "Great...great name..."
With an experienced veteran like Grandpa Wang overseeing the project, managing risks and coordinating resources, Qin Hao felt comfortable entrusting the project to them.
Before heading to the United States, he made a special trip back to his hometown—Song Yunping ultimately listened to her parents' advice and resigned from her job as a middle school teacher.
As Qin Hao's business grew day by day and their family's life improved, Song's parents were somewhat anxious because their daughter had been married for so long but still hadn't conceived. They always felt that Song Yunping's work was too tiring and affecting her health.
Qin Hao came back this time with the intention of taking Song Yunping to the United States.
As soon as Qin Hao got home, before he could even sit down properly, Lei Dongbao rushed in from outside, grabbed Qin Hao's hand, and began to complain: "Haozi, you've really put me in a terrible situation this time! You have to think of a solution for me, or the Lei family will be ruined!"
Qin Hao was full of doubts. Only after Lei Dongbao, panting, explained the whole story did he understand what had happened.
It turns out that at Lei Dongbao's wedding last time, Qin Hao talked to Chen Pingyuan about integrating surrounding resources and developing the Lei family's industries. A week later, Chen Pingyuan came up with an integration plan for the "Thunder Industry Cluster".
The requirement is to merge all collective enterprises in the surrounding villages and towns into Xiaoleijia, and to have Xiaoleijia manage and operate them uniformly, creating an upstream and downstream industrial chain.
"Isn't this a good thing? Integrating resources can expand the industry and help the surrounding villagers get rich. How could it ruin Xiao Lei's family?" Song's father asked in confusion as he listened from the side.
Lei Dongbao, with a bitter face and an exaggerated expression, complained, "My uncle, you have no idea what kind of rubbish those businesses that were merged into Xiao Lei's village are! They're all small workshops and factories, lacking both technology and capital, some even operating at a loss. What's even more infuriating is that group of cadres sent from other villages, all they think about is how to take advantage of the public funds, embezzling public funds, extorting and demanding bribes, and keeping an eye on Xiao Lei's village's assets every day. Now I have to both develop the businesses and outwit these bastards, I can't sleep well at all, my head is about to explode!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao quickly waved his hand: "You can't blame me for this. What I talked to Secretary Chen about was how to integrate Xiaolei Village's own upstream and downstream industrial chains and strengthen our own enterprises. I didn't ask him to create any 'industrial cluster' and take over the messes from other villages. This idea was his own and has nothing to do with me."
Lei Dongbao, still with a bitter face, held onto Qin Hao tightly, refusing to let go: "Haozi, no matter what, this whole thing started because of you. Even if you don't care about me, at least give me some advice for the sake of all the villagers in Xiaolei Village. Otherwise, they'll really ruin Xiaolei Village. Not only will the company go bankrupt, but so many workers will lose their jobs, and the villagers' pensions and medical reimbursements will all be lost!"
Upon hearing this, Song's parents quickly pleaded on his behalf: "Haozi, is it that serious? Dongbao only came to you because he had no other choice. Please give him some advice."
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, and considering Song's parents' feelings, Qin Hao said, "Alright, for your parents' sake, I'll help you this last time."
He pondered for a moment, recalling Lei Dongbao's usual style of doing things, and said, "Actually, it's very simple to get rid of these parasites. They embezzled public funds and demanded bribes, so they must have left a lot of evidence against them. Over such a long period of time, you should have collected a lot of evidence against them, right?"
Lei Dongbao sighed, "What's the use! I took the evidence to Secretary Chen, but he acted like he didn't see it at all. He even told me to be careful to unite my comrades, not to fight amongst myself, and to be more tolerant of them. Can you believe it!"
"That's because you didn't explain the seriousness of the matter clearly," Qin Hao said with a smile. "Go back and compile a detailed table of all the data for the Xiaolei family's enterprises over the past two years, including revenue, profit, cost, and debt. The data must be accurate, but you also need to learn to 'play the victim'—exaggerate the losses caused by those messy enterprises, clearly mark the amount of public funds embezzled by the corrupt officials, and let Secretary Chen see that if these people are not dealt with, the 'Thunder Industrial Cluster' will collapse soon. At that time, not only will his political achievements be affected, but it may also trigger a mass incident. Since it concerns his future, his attitude will naturally be different."
Lei Dongbao's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Haozi, I'm impressed! I'll go back and make the forms right away, and go see Secretary Chen first thing tomorrow morning!"
After saying that, he didn't even bother to drink water and turned around and ran out in a hurry.