471: Successful investment

Looking around, the automated drying equipment in the workshop was running at a steady speed, drying various medicinal herbs.

Once dried, the herbs were neatly stacked on a conveyor belt and transported to the next processing station.

Several employees, who looked like experienced masters, were also wearing dust-free suits, watching the temperature curves of the equipment on a touchscreen.

In Ye Su's understanding, medicinal herbs were more often associated with the word "traditional," with processing methods simply involving placing them in bamboo sieves and leaving them out in the sun.

Seeing large-scale, modern equipment processing herbs like this was certainly an eye-opener for Ye Su.

"Those stainless steel storage tanks against the wall contain rhubarb processed using the wine-roasting technique, where the herb pieces are soaked and fermented in yellow wine..."

Yu Mingjun was like a dedicated tour guide, carefully introducing the equipment in the workshop to Ye Su, as well as the herbs being processed by the equipment.

After walking around the workshop and seeing more or less everything, Ye Su, led by Yu Mingjun, left the workshop, took off his dust-free suit, and went together to his office.

"So, after taking a look around, is my factory alright?"

Ye Su sat down casually opposite Yu Mingjun: "I'm a layman in this regard. Aside from the fact that the equipment is machinery and the things on them are medicinal herbs, I don't understand anything else."

"Uh..." Yu Mingjun was so speechless he could only laugh:

"You should have said so earlier. I just about talked until my mouth went dry; if I had known, I wouldn't have bothered."

"That won't do. It's an investment, after all; you have to at least give me some sense of ceremony, right?"

"Fine." Yu Mingjun nodded helplessly.

It was only because it was Ye Su; if it had been anyone else with this attitude, Yu Mingjun would have suspected whether the other party was genuinely interested in investing or just joking with him.

"Well, you've finished the tour. Do you intend to proceed with this investment, or do you need to consider it further?"

Ye Su sat up slightly: "Invest, why wouldn't I invest?"

Even though he had anticipated this result, hearing Ye Su's affirmative answer, Yu Mingjun couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Securing an investment so easily—if other companies in need of investment heard this, they would probably be so envious their eyes would turn red.

While excited, Yu Mingjun didn't forget the main business. He took out the documents and the contract that had been prepared long ago from the drawer and handed them to Ye Su:

"These are our company's financial statements and data from last year to the present, as well as the contract for your shareholding. You can take a look first."

"Mm."

After nodding, Ye Su took the documents and began to flip through them.

The report recorded that the medicinal herb company's profit last year was around 20 million.

This year's profit had slipped; after two quarters, the profit had barely exceeded 9 million, a drop of about 10% compared to last year.

It was no wonder Yu Mingjun's family decided to seek a bank loan to further increase investment in the company.

After Ye Su finished reading the report, Yu Mingjun then discussed the shareholding ratio with him:

"You've seen the financial statements. Although company performance has slipped, the overall profit is still passable.

Currently, the company is valued at 150 million. If you invest 15 million, you'll hold a 10% stake in the company. This price should be acceptable, right?"

"10%..."

For a company with an annual profit of around 20 million, a valuation of 150 million, and buying a 10% stake with 15 million in cash, Ye Su felt this price was fair.

Although the company's performance for the first two quarters of this year had slipped, after receiving his 15 million in capital, they should be able to expand their scale in the second half of the year and boost earnings again.

Even calculating based on an annual profit of 20 million, he could get 2 million in dividends a year.

Furthermore, [hidden task - mutual benefit] would also give him a cash reward equal to the dividends, meaning this investment could bring a return of 4 million a year.

Calculating with this figure, the 15 million invested would break even in less than four years.

After four years, the 10% stake in the company and subsequent dividends would all be net profit.

No matter how you look at it, this is a high-quality investment that you couldn't find even if you searched with a lantern.

"No problem, let's go with the price you mentioned. I'll take a 10% stake."

"OK."

Ye Su's straightforwardness once again exceeded Yu Mingjun's expectations:

"Let's agree on this first: with this 10% stake you hold, you can only collect dividends and cannot use your status as a shareholder to interfere with the company's operating model. Is that okay?"

Judging from Ye Su's reaction, the 15 million investment didn't seem to be a large sum of money to him.

But for him, the company was the foundation built by three generations of his family.

Yu Mingjun didn't want Ye Su, because he didn't care about this 15 million, to come into the company and do whatever he felt like, turning the company into a mess.

To avoid future disputes, Yu Mingjun had to make these issues clear.

"Sure."

Ye Su wished he didn't have to manage anything at all, just sit back like a boss, and wait to collect money every year with his legs crossed:

"Regarding the operation of the medicinal herb company, you are the expert. I'm a layman, so I won't join in the fun."

"Great!"

In Yu Mingjun's eyes, the current Ye Su was undoubtedly an [angel] investor.

Afterwards, the two of them confirmed every detail of the shareholding one by one, and only then was this investment truly completed.

"Everything we just discussed, I've written into the contract," Yu Mingjun joked:

"Do you want to find a lawyer to take a look, just in case I left any traps in there for you?"

"Just kidding. I'm famously sharp; how could I possibly not spot any traps?"

After joking around, Ye Su readily signed his name on the contract and pressed his fingerprint.

[Ding!]

As soon as the fingerprint was pressed, a system screen popped up in front of Ye Su.

[Congratulations to the Host for completing [hidden task - mutual benefit], receiving the task reward: 10 points of [Physique] attribute, 10 points of [Strength] attribute, and subsequent equivalent medicinal herb company dividends!]

[Now distributing rewards to the Host: 10 points of [Physique] attribute, 10 points of [Strength] attribute!]

[The equivalent medicinal herb company dividend reward will be distributed at the same time the Host receives shareholder dividends!]

As the rewards were distributed, a familiar warm current surged from his dantian throughout his entire body, giving Ye Su a satisfying feeling of his pores expanding.

Furthermore, because 10 points of [Strength] attribute had been credited, Ye Su felt that he now had endless bovine strength throughout his body.

[The Host's current [Physique] is: 130 points!]

[The Host's current [Strength] is: 91 points!]

"130 points in Physique, 91 points in Strength. Without training, just relying on these stats, winning a few gold medals at the Olympics would be easy, right?"

Ye Su didn't doubt for a second that if he went to the Olympics to participate in track and field events, he could defeat those Black dudes and become the new generation of Asian flying man.

"Oh, right."

Hearing Yu Mingjun's voice, Ye Su calmly closed the system and looked up ahead.

"Do you want to send someone over to the company to assist in handling company affairs?"

Assisting in handling company affairs was a pretense; the real intention was to let Ye Su openly plant one of his own people into the medicinal herb company.

This suggestion from Yu Mingjun was also for Ye Su's sake, allowing him to feel more at ease about this investment.