Chapter 096: Price Negotiation
The place where Blooming Lotus’ shareholders arranged for them to meet was not in Haicheng, but in a 4A-level bamboo forest scenic spot on the border of Jiangsu and Anhui. It was said that the shareholders had booked a hot spring manor in this scenic spot and specially invited them to spend time there.
At eight o’clock in the morning, a business car arranged by Ye Qinru came to the hotel to pick up Qi Yu and Fu Yansheng.
After getting into the car, Qi Yu saw that Wu Shuang and Ye Qinru were already sitting in the back row and had left the middle two seats for him and Fu Yansheng. This time, aside from Ye Qinru and Wu Shuang, there was also a vice-president from the Group’s finance department, surnamed Yang, sitting in the front passenger seat.
Ye Qinru asked Qi Yu, “Did you rest well last night?”
Qi Yu still looked a little tired. “It was okay.”
Ye Qinru smiled. He turned to Fu Yansheng and said, “On the other hand, looks like Chief Fu is in quite good spirits.”
Hearing this triggered all of Qi Yu’s pent up anger. Last night, after Fu Yansheng teased him and then simply walked away from the matter, Qi Yu lay in bed for a long time, unable to sleep. If it weren’t for this, he might have actually been able to get a good night’s rest……
Fu Yansheng asked, “How long will it take to get there?”
Ye Qinru: “Three and a half hours. If Chief Qi wishes to rest, you can sleep for a while in the car.”
Qi Yu gave a “en” and asked, “Where are Si Ze and the others?”
Ye Qinru: “They have also set off on their own. We’ve arranged to meet there at half past eleven.”
Wu Shuang said, puzzled, “We’re only going to negotiate a price. Why do you still have to go to such a faraway scenic spot?”
Ye Qinru: “After all, what we are talking about a project worth hundreds of millions. Do you think we’re going to a wet market to buy vegetables? You pay five yuan and I pay three? We’re bankrollers and they are sellers. If sellers want to sell, don’t they have to make the potential buyers happy first? This level of hospitality is normal.”
Wu Shuang: “Oh…”
Qi Yu wasn’t at all surprised by such things. Qi Yuancheng was often invited to spend time at various places when he discussed business with others. He had often experienced this himself when he was a child.
Mei Wei also had dealers in Italy. He remember one time when he and his father went to Italy to discuss business, a local Chinese businessman friend entertained them and took them to Croatia across the sea.
Croatia is rich in truffles. This uncle took them to a small village and introduced them to a friend of his from Hong Kong. His friend then introduced them to the value, deliciousness and nutritional value of black truffles. At the time, he even brought along two dogs with them to dig for truffles in the mountains. The whole thing was like digging for treasure and it made quite the impression on Qi Yu.
They dug up five black truffles that day, and went straight to a restaurant after going down the mountain. They asked the French chef to use the black truffles they’d dug up to cook up some dishes. It wasn’t until they were having dinner that the Hong Kong-er revealed himself to be a truffle wholesaler who wanted Qi Yuancheng to invest in them.
When they returned to the hotel that evening, he asked his father if he intended to invest. Qi Yuancheng smiled and asked him in reply, “What did you think of the taste of black truffles?”
Frankly speaking, Qi Yu didn’t really care at all for that kind of taste but he really did have a good time that day and he was fooled by those uncles into thinking that he really had eaten a very high-end and expensive food.
After hearing his comments, Qi Yuancheng smiled and said, “To please investors is what every person who wishes to pull in investments must do. Although dad is rich, he doesn’t invest in everything.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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……
Qi Yu took back his thoughts and asked Ye Qinru, “What kind of people are Blooming Lotus’ two shareholders?”
Ye Qinru said, “One is named Yu Lian and the other is named Yan Xiu, both of them are women. ‘Blooming (Xiu) Lotus (Lian)’ is taken from their names. I have only met Yu Lian. When we first met, she invited me to an exquisite meal at a high-end Republic of China-era Western house in Suzhou City. Afterwards, she invited me to watch a performance of Kunqu Opera. She didn’t seem at all like a businessman but more like cultured a young woman…”
Wu Shuang asked curiously, “Is she beautiful?”
Ye Qinru looked out from the corner of his eye at him. “Passable.”
“Oh…” Wu Shuang was a little surprised as to why Ye Qinru would look at him as he said this. He said, embarrassed, “Go on.”
Ye Qinru: “At that meeting, Yu Lian told me that she and Yan Xiu met when they were studying in France. Both of them studied luxury goods management. After graduation, they returned to China and founded this company together. They served as shareholders and as managers. In the beginning, they were mainly engaged in the buying-and-selling of luxury goods, specializing in discounted products from big foreign name brands. Because they sold their products at low prices, they managed to attract the attention of many young middle-class customers. After several rounds of financing, the company became bigger and bigger and the scope of their business grew wider and wider. Online selling was something that they developed much later. But in the past two years, Mou Bao, Nanri and the other online shopping malls’ development of overseas purchase channels resulted in a great hit to Blooming Lotus. Moreover, their goods were miscellaneous and unfocused, their customer positioning, unclear. This resulted in their stock price staying quite low since their listing. I heard from Yu Lian that several of the company shareholders, including its management, all have different ideas. She and Yan Xiu both already feel unable to handle matters so they are planning to sell off their shares……”
Regarding the general information and current situation of Blooming Lotus, Qi Yu had already heard it from Fu Yansheng before. However, it was his first time hearing about the story of the two founders.
Qi Yu said thoughtfully, “Using their own names for the company’s name, these two must have attached great importance to this company in the beginning.”
Ye Qinru: “En, the last time we met, I felt that President Yu had a lot of affection for this company. She talked a lot about the difficulties and setbacks she and Yan Xiu experienced during their entrepreneurial journey. She even said that for her and Yan Xiu, Blooming Lotus was like their child.”
Wu Shuang said with emotion, “And now, to have been reduced to selling their child. They must really have it hard…”
Ye Qinru: “…”
They chatted for over an hour. During the second half of their journey, Qi Yu leaned back on his seat and fell asleep. Fu Yansheng turned around and made a gesture to Ye Qinru and Wu Shuang.
When they were about to reach their destination, Qi Yu slowly woke up and found that he was covered with Fu Yansheng’s coat. He pulled the coat off and tuned to the man beside him. Seeing that the man had a cup of coffee in his hand, he asked, “Where did you get the coffee?”
Fu Yansheng: “I bought it the service area we just stopped at. You were asleep so I didn’t call you.”
Qi Yu, actions completely natural, stretched out his hand and said, “Let me have a drink.”
Fu Yansheng was taken aback. “I already drank from it.”
Qi Yu: “It’s fine.”
Fu Yansheng hesitated for a second before handing the remaining half cup of coffee to Qi Yu, who returned the jacket to him and took a sip.
Sensing that it was strangely quiet in the car, Qi Yu abruptly came back to his senses. Ye Qinru and Wu Shuang were still sitting behind them… Drinking Fu Yansheng’s coffee seemed rather ambiguous.
Embarrassed, he handed the cup back and looked at bamboo covered mountain outside the window. Changing the subject, he asked, “Are we almost there?”
Fu Yansheng: “Almost.”
After driving for another ten minutes, the car slowly stopped in front of a courtyard gate of antiquated beauty. An attendant, dressed in black traditional garb, immediately stepped forward to open the door for them.
Though described as a manor, it was, in fact, a resort hotel. The group got out of the car and entered the lobby of the manor with the attendant as their guide.
One side of the lobby was made entirely of glass, providing a panoramic view. Looking around, you could see the rolling hills outside, full of towering ancient trees and gray-green bamboo. It evoked feeling sof joy and relaxation.
While admiring the beautiful scenery in front of him, there was suddenly a burst of noise behind him. Qi Yu turned his head and saw that Si Ze and the others had just arrived. There were five of them. Huang Junwen and Song Puxin were both there and they were all impeccably dressed in Western clothes.
“Qi Yu!” Si Ze called out his name and walked towards him with a smile. After exchanging greetings, the attendant led their group to the banquet hall.
Yu Lian and Yan Xiu have been waiting here for quite some time. Yu Lian was very beautiful. Her face was unadorned, without any makeup but this did nothing to hide her beauty. She had on a white cheongsam with silver rose patterns that highlighted her graceful figure.
When the two parties met, Yu Lian took the lead and greeted Ye Qinru. “Chief Ye, hello and welcome to everyone.”
“President Yu, we meet again.” Ye Qinru politely shook hands with her, “Thank you for your hospitality.”
Standing beside Yu Lian, Yan Xiu was tall and slender. She too was a woman of excellent temperament, but unlike Yu Lian’s get up, Yan Xiu wore a black professional attire, making her look extra heroic.
After that, Ye Qinru and Yu Lian introduced the people in their respective groups. When it came to introduce Qi Yu, Yu Lian’s eyes lit up and she was very surprised. “I have heard Chief Ye mention it last time but I never expected President Qi to be this young and handsome. It’s nice to meet you.”
Everyone sat down to eat and there was inevitably a round of professional compliments during the meal — from their personal achievements, to their occupations and appearances. There was not a single mention regarding the acquisition of Blooming Lotus.
After complimenting each other, everyone began to discuss the dishes on the table. It seemed that everyone had turned into a gourmet. After chatting about the delicacies, they then talked about current affairs, politics and gossip about public figures. Once they had made their rounds of the topics and the plates were almost empty, it was only then that Yu Lian said, “Have you all given a thought to purchasing Blooming Lotus’ shares?”
Ye Qinru nodded and said, “We have read all the information about Blooming Lotus and the company has also conducted several rounds of valuations. It has obvious advantages but there are also many shortcomings. I have told President Yu last time we met that what we are interested in is the company’s customer base and its shell as a listed company. Many of the company’s additional assets are useless to us… But President Yu can rest assured that we came here today with sincerity.”
Yu Lian looked at Si Ze. “What price are you willing to pay, Mr. Si?”
Si Ze said with a smile, “Why don’t you quote a price first?”
Yu Lian gave Yan Xiu a look, and Yan Xiu said, “250 million.”
Ye Qinru said calmly, “Is President Yan talking about the entire Blooming Lotus offer?”
Yan Xiu: “This is the price only for the shares held by Yu Lian and me.”
Si Ze smiled and shook his head. “President Yan must be joking. To tell you the truth, our valuation of Blooming Lotus’ entire company is not higher than this number.”
Qi Yu was stunned. Didn’t they value Blooming Lotus at 268 million?
Sure enough, the expressions of the people on Blooming Lotus’ side changed a little upon hearing this. Fortunately, Yu Lian held it up and said with a smile, “Chief Ye, we quoted a reasonable price based on the market value.”
Ye Qinru: “Was this the price when Blooming Lotus was first listed?”
Yu Lian: “As long as Si Yuan takes over, Blooming Lotus’ stock price will rise.”
Si Ze: “So you all know that you have to rely on Si Yuan to save the situation. If Si Yuan does not take action, Blooming Lotus’ stock price will continue to fall and it may even face the risk of being delisted.”
A young woman from Blooming Lotus’ financial team frowned and said, “But according to your estimate, it’s too low…”
Yu Lian and Yan Xiu exchanged a look. They then raised their glasses to Si Ze and Ye Qinru and said, “It’s fine, even if business cannot be concluded and no deal may come of this, getting to know everyone from Si Yuan is a blessing in itself.”
Yan Xiu added, “Everyone has come from so far away. We musn’t waste this natural beauty. We have booked this manor for two days. There are hot springs, game rooms and tea rooms here. Let’s all take a break and talk again later.”
Qi Yu could see that it wasn’t that Yu Lian and Yan Xiu didn’t want to sell but they planned to adopt detour tactics. Since they could not yet come to an agreement, they would slowly entertain them. Since Si Yuan was alreayd here, Blooming Lotus probably thought they might as well take the rough with the smooth. As Yan Xiu said, it wasn’t often that they got to enjoy this escape from the city bustle, they should enjoy it.
Everyone got up and followed the manor’s attendant to their rooms. When passing through the courtyard, Qi Yu heard Wu Shuang whisper to Ye Qinru, “This President Yu is so beautiful, why did you say she was just ‘passable’ in the car?”
Ye Qinru tilted his head to look at him: “Why do you keep paying attention to how attractive or not people are?”
“No, aren’t you looking to date? I think President Yu is a good match for you. She even took you to listen to Kunqu Opera. Maybe she’s interesting in you…” Wu Shuang muttered, “With such a high standards, it’s no wonder she’s always been single.”
Ye Qinru said with a smile that was yet not a smile, “Why do I feel like your tone sounds a bit sour?”
Wu Shuang couldn’t react. “Huh?”
Jealous of who? Jealous of Ye Qinru?
Ye Qinru snorted and raised his chin, looking around like a peacock. “I heard that the hot springs is quite good. Why don’t we go for a dip together tonight?”
Wu Shuang: “???”
The author has something to say: [Litte Theater]
Ye Qinru: A little fan’s heart is really small.
Wu Shuang: ? ? ?
Ye Qinru: Getting so jealous just because he heard there was a beautiful woman who asked me to watch Kunqu Opera. I’ll have to give him some sweetness, otherwise I’ll be able to smell the vinegar if we stand together. Tsk tsk.
Wu Shuang: ? ? ? ? What are you talking about?
SNIFF! I smell it! The blooming scent of a side CP! The peacock Ye Qinru is looking down on the little fan Wu Shuang’s “tastes” and “sourness”~ Hehe does he think that Wu Shuang should just praise his handsomeness and no one else’s beauty? Is this…. A drop of vinegar leaking~?! Hmmmm~?
On the other hand, I really don’t like Si Ze’s way of handling the negotiations. I hope the two ladies will get to talk to Qi Yu and receive a better deal for both parties!
.. am I sniffing the elusive GL side couple as well? 😍
And yes agree that Si Ze did not impress, but let’s see what the author does with him in the future. My previous complaints about Qi Yuancheng being unprofessional were completely unfounded so I’ll give SZ the benefit of doubt for now..
ye qinru, i’m not going to say anything when you know the truth later. im just going to laugh
thanks for the chapter!
hahaha ye qinru, dear, i think you’re misunderstanding something!! but i’m all for you ‘chasing’ our innocent secretary wu
+1
Ye ge’s imagination skill is so good. So who’s gonna be responsible now that xiao Shuang seems to be in danger ah~