Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Sky-High Prices
“It’s truly fate. I just arrived this morning as well. Medical University has opened an Ice City beverage shop, a direct-operated store. Since it’s a pilot in the capital, it has to be taken seriously, right? I still have to catch a flight back later.”

I happened to run into an old friend who was taking his daughter to school, so I thought I’d come and have a look. As a result, I even ran into President Xu.

Zhang Chao also smiled and explained, “They’re all clever people; how could I not see what Xu Yuan was thinking?”

“I see.” Xu Yuan smiled and nodded. How much he believed those words was something only he knew.

Ye Hao could tell that Zhang Chao seemed a bit embarrassed; it looked like he was trying to explain something just now. He also smiled and spoke to ease the awkwardness, “President Xu is quite young. Where do you work?”

“This call from President Xu actually made me a bit uneasy. Today is also the day I enrolled. I’m studying at the neighboring Finance University.”

“You’re still studying?”

At that moment, Ye Sisi, who had been sitting nearby listening to the conversation, couldn’t help but show a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Ye Sisi appeared quiet, but her personality was very lively and unrestrained, so she didn’t feel the least bit guilty about interrupting her father’s conversation.

“Mm-hmm. From now on, Xinran will be relying on you a lot,” Xu Yuan said with a smile to Ye Sisi.

Ye Sisi was indeed quite good-looking, probably just a bit less polished than Li Xinran’s real appearance.

“No problem. I just heard my dad and the others talking about you. They said you could invest 5 million, and I thought you had already graduated.”

“But your clothes are pretty ordinary, not like a rich second generation at all,” Ye Sisi said, frowning slightly as she looked Xu Yuan up and down.

“Sisi, you can’t be so rude,” Ye Hao hurriedly scolded his daughter.

But Ye Sisi wasn’t afraid at all; she just playfully stuck out her tongue.

Ye Hao looked apologetically at Xu Yuan and said, “Sorry, Mr. Xu, she’s been spoiled since she was little.”

“Ye Sisi isn’t entirely wrong. I’m not really a second-generation rich kid, but there has to be a first generation rich to have a second generation, right?” Xu Yuan joked, answering very calmly.

After putting everything down, Xu Yuan said to the two of them, “Xinran is still waiting for me downstairs. I won’t stay long, I’ll go down first.”

“President Xu, I’ll go down with you,” Zhang Chao said as he was about to leave, then turned to Ye Hao and said, “Old Ye, it’s getting late, I’ll take my leave first.”

“Alright, I’ll call the driver at the school gate to send you off later. Next time you come to the capital, I’ll treat you to tea, and bring President Xu along,” Ye Hao didn’t linger with Zhang Chao either, waving to the two of them and smiling as he spoke.

After the two left the room, Ye Hao, who had been sick for a while, let out a long sigh and said, “This President Xu is not simple at all. No wonder Old Zhang refused our company’s 30 million investment and chose to cooperate with him instead.”

“Dad, you don’t have to praise someone like that, do you? We’ve only talked a few sentences, and you’re already saying he’s not simple?” Ye Sisi pouted, questioning.

Ye Hao rolled his eyes at his disrespectful daughter and said, “Your dad has been navigating the business world for so many years. The reason I climbed to where I am now is because I can read people well.

A person’s appearance, attire, or even their background can be faked, but the eyes never lie. This Mr. Xu is the same kind of person as me.

When you doubted him just now, he didn’t even blink. That means he didn’t take you seriously at all, girl.”

“Tch!” Ye Sisi turned her head in dissatisfaction. The reason she deliberately tried to provoke Xu Yuan was

because she saw this guy, so young and seemingly about her age, bragging that he could invest 5 million, which made her feel resentful.

Ye Hao was also in investment, and Ye Sisi had been influenced by him since childhood, developing a strong interest in this industry. If Ye Hao hadn’t forced her to attend medical school, she would definitely have studied finance.

“Don’t be so resentful. Your personality isn’t suited for this line of work.”

Just now, when General Manager Xu walked in and saw Old Zhang for the first time, his gaze was as sharp as a sword, but it flashed by in an instant.

If one day he becomes your opponent, he will definitely crush you without leaving a trace.” Ye Hao also shook his head helplessly.

The reason he doesn’t want his daughter to follow the same path as him is because the investment industry can turn a person into a wolf who only sees profit!
Ye Hao doesn’t want his lively and adorable daughter to become someone like himself.

“Dad, but you said it! Anyway, his girlfriend is my roommate, so I really need to see what kind of skills this person has!” Ye Sisi stood up, looking stubbornly at Ye Hao.

  ……

“So this must be Xinran, right? This is only our second time meeting as well.” Zhang Chao smiled and greeted Li Xinran.

“Hello, President Zhang.” Although Li Xinran was a bit surprised that he showed up here, she still politely greeted him.

“Mr. Zhang, could you please take a look at the luggage? I’ll send Xinran up.” Xu Yuan said with a smile to Zhang Chao. Originally, he had planned to let Li Xinran go up alone.

However, Xu Yuan changed his mind a bit. Ye Hao could see through Xu Yuan, so how could Xu Yuan not see through Ye Hao? The other party was probably an investor as well.

Both were cunning foxes with a thousand years of experience; Zhang Chao also understood that Xu Yuan was deliberately trying to leave him hanging.

Cooperation requires equality. Once one side falls behind, the initiative will inevitably be in the hands of the other side.

Xu Yuan didn’t want Zhang Chao to think that he was indispensable to him.

These days, wealthy investors are the bosses of the company.

“This isn’t really appropriate… I can handle it myself,” Li Xinran said quietly to Xu Yuan, feeling that it was somewhat improper for a big boss to come and check the luggage.

“It’s okay, I’m not in a hurry,” Zhang Chao said with a smile.

He was just saying he was in a hurry to catch a flight, but now he’s not in a rush—he’s deliberately showing weakness to Xu Yuan.

However, seeing the other party’s attitude, Xu Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief. The Ice City Beverage brand, which is clearly going to be a huge success, would be a pity to miss out on.
But Zhang Chao’s performance indicates that their cooperation still has a chance.

Xu Yuan nodded at Zhang Chao, then took Li Xinran’s hand and said, “Let’s go, I’ll send you up quickly. We can’t keep Mr. Zhang waiting, right?”

  ……

“Mr. Zhang, shall we go?”

Xu Yuan came down shortly after and took the suitcase and bag from Zhang Chao.

The two of them strolled leisurely through the campus, neither of them speaking first.

It wasn’t until they reached the school gate that Xu Yuan saw the luxury car parked there and couldn’t help but gasp.

A Maybach Pullman—Zhang Chao, that old fox, was deliberately waiting here for him.

Ye Hao’s car alone would cost more than three 5-million yuan bills combined.

Stories are meant to be told to those who understand, and Xu Yuan understood the story Zhang Chao was telling him.

The price of 5 million was obviously unsatisfactory to the other party, and Zhang Chao also knew that 5 million was definitely not Xu Yuan’s bottom line.

The driver thoughtfully placed Xu Yuan’s luggage in the trunk; Ye Hao had already called ahead to inform them that there were two guests.

“Get in the car, President Xu,” Zhang Chao said with a smile as he looked at Xu Yuan.

“Okay.” Xu Yuan did not hesitate and got into the car with the driver’s assistance.

Before getting in, he reminded the driver, “It’s the first day of school today, there will be a lot of people. Pay attention to safety and drive slower.”

“Understood, Mr. Zhang.” The driver naturally understood the meaning behind Zhang Chao’s words and respectfully nodded in response.

The front and back seats of the Pullman were separated, so the driver couldn’t hear the conversation between the two at all.

“Let’s get straight to the point, Mr. Xu. Old Ye’s offer is a 40 million investment for a 16% stake.”

“It’s a coincidence to meet today. I originally planned to discuss this with you on the 20th,” Zhang Chao said calmly.

Upon hearing the figure, Xu Yuan slightly raised his eyebrows. Although he didn’t know exactly how much Ye Hao had quoted, he felt that 40 million for a 16% stake was somewhat inflated.

“Bingcheng Beverages currently has over 700 stores nationwide, which isn’t that many.”

The figure of 40 million was very tempting, but Old Ye’s philosophy was different from mine. He wanted to focus on cultivating star stores,” Zhang Chao said without waiting for Xu Yuan’s response.

“His idea is reasonable too. If you want to achieve profitability in the short term, cultivating star stores to attract franchisees is indeed the fastest way. After all, it’s easier to make money from businesses than from consumers,” Xu Yuan nodded. Ye Hao’s approach was actually quite similar to that so-called Longteng Barbecue.

However, the execution should be very meticulous, not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, but putting the franchised businesses in a somewhat helpless position.

It’s basically sacrificing the potential for long-term development in the future.

“10 million! I want 20% of the original shares, plus 25% of the dry shares,” Xu Yuan said calmly.

This time he didn’t hold back, because it was pointless. As for the asking price, you have to start high to have room for negotiation.

[Discovered a business investment project.

Project target: Ice City Beverages.

Investment loan amount: 10 million (The host needs to repay 1.1 times the loan amount, and the system will deduct 50% of the profits each quarter until the host completes the repayment.)
Additional loan amount: 45 million (The host needs to repay 1.05 times the loan amount, and the system will deduct 50% of the profits each quarter until the host completes the repayment.)

【Invest or not】

The system’s prompt sound rang again, and Xu Yuan was slightly stunned; the system had actually added another investment.

But this also gave Xu Yuan more confidence.

“President Xu, you are really asking for the moon this time.” Zhang Chao didn’t laugh this time, but his tone remained calm.

Asking for 10 million to take a 20% stake, plus 25% equity shares, is completely an exorbitant demand.

“President Zhang, we share the same vision. Just as I said when we first met, I simply trust my investment judgment.

Under normal company profit and loss conditions, there will be no interference in company decision-making.” Xu Yuan shrugged his shoulders, honestly admitting this point; managing a company was indeed not his strong suit.

This was also the reason Zhang Chao was tempted to invest in him.

“Too much! 5% of the original shares, plus an additional 7% of dry shares as a gift, is the bottom line.” Zhang Chao didn’t think for long this time; he chose to tell the truth.

Although Bingcheng Beverages is currently unknown, its future development potential is absolutely unprecedented, and ten million is worth that much.

“Not a single bit less!”

Xu Yuan did not back down in the slightest. If just now he was trying to start with an exorbitant price and gradually cut down to his expected target, then now, Xu Yuan even felt that his initial offer was a bit too low.