151: Chapter 151 Heart-to-Heart Talk

The next day, Li Xin went to Zhao Tiezhu's breakfast shop.

Although it was called a breakfast shop, it was no longer the same place it had been in the beginning. Zhao Tiezhu had opened a flagship store in Longhua—two floors, over three hundred square meters, decorated simply but clean and bright. There was a queue at the door, and the place was packed inside; business was booming.

Zhao Tiezhu was busy in the kitchen. When he saw Li Xin arrive, he wiped his hands and walked out.

"Boss Li, you're here."

"I told you not to call me Boss Li."

Zhao Tiezhu grinned. "I'm used to it. Come on, let me show you around."

He took Li Xin on a tour of the shop. The kitchen, storage room, cash register, and dining area—every place was kept clean and tidy. The menu and price list were posted on the wall; the prices weren't expensive. The cheapest item, soy milk, was 1.5 yuan, and the most expensive, a set meal, was 20 yuan.

"When did this shop open?" Li Xin asked.

"Last month," Zhao Tiezhu said. "There are seven shops now, and this one is the biggest. Business is alright; the daily turnover is over twenty thousand."

"What about the profit?"

"About twenty percent. In the breakfast industry, the margins are thin, so we rely on volume."

Li Xin nodded. He glanced at Zhao Tiezhu. This man was more confident than before; when he spoke, his eyes didn't dart around, and his back was straight.

"What are your plans for the future?" he asked.

"Keep opening more. First, penetrate the Shenzhen market thoroughly, then move to surrounding cities," Zhao Tiezhu paused. "Once we reach a certain scale, we'll build a central kitchen, implement unified distribution, and standardize management."

Li Xin smiled. "You've thought quite far ahead."

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head. "I learned it from Yang Hong. He has a plan for everything he does, and I just learned it by watching him."

On the third night, the four of them gathered again at the Old Place BBQ Restaurant.

This time, they didn't ask Zhao Tiezhu to come. Li Xin said he had something to discuss, so he only called Luo Maifa, Yang Hong, and Qiang Zi.

It was the same table against the wall, the same skewers and beer. But the atmosphere was different from before. All three of them could tell that Li Xin had something to say.

After the proprietress served all the dishes, Li Xin picked up his beer, took a sip, and put the glass down.

"There's something I want to discuss with you all."

The three of them looked at him.

"I plan to withdraw," he said.

Luo Maifa was stunned for a moment. "Withdraw? Withdraw from what?"

"The companies. I plan to lower my shares in the companies you have in your hands."

There was silence at the table for a few seconds.

Yang Hong put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Xin. "Lower it to how much?"

"Ten percent. Ten percent for each company."

"Why?" Qiang Zi asked.

Li Xin leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, and organized his words.

"We're all brothers, so I'll be honest. When I invested initially, I didn't have any other thoughts; I just felt that we were brothers and wanted to lend a hand to help you all out. Seeing that your businesses are running smoothly now, I'm genuinely happy for you."

"I know myself—I'm good at going from 0 to 1. Now that you've entered the fast lane, my task of 'helping you get on the horse' is complete."

"Recently, my own ventures have been keeping me incredibly busy, so I thought it would be better to withdraw and leave the position for more professional partners, and also to give you more freedom in decision-making."

"We'll still be good brothers in the future. If you need me to help shout out for anything, just let me know."

Luo Maifa opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

Yang Hong pushed up his glasses and didn't speak.

Qiang Zi picked up his beer, took a big gulp, and slammed the glass down on the table.

"Brother Xin, you're being too distant by saying that." Qiang Zi's voice deepened.

"How is it just you helping us out? If it weren't for you backing us and leading the way in the beginning, we would never have reached this point today."

"That was your own ability," Li Xin said. "I just put up some money. How the companies are managed, how they develop, and how you reached this point—that's all your own doing."

"Money is not a small thing?" Luo Maifa finally couldn't hold it back.

"If it weren't for your money back then, my dad's company would have failed long ago. Yang Hong's company—if you hadn't invested, could he have lasted until now? And Tiezhu's shop—if you hadn't provided the capital, he would still be moving bricks on a construction site."

Li Xin looked at him. "So what? Should I keep holding the majority share forever?"

"But you can't lower it to ten percent!" Luo Maifa was anxious. "That's way too low."

Yang Hong spoke up from the side. "Let him finish."

Li Xin glanced at Yang Hong. This man was the calmest and most rational.

"I'm not breaking ties with you," he said. "I'm still your shareholder, and I'm still your brother. But I can't keep holding the majority share. The results you've achieved—you should hold the majority yourselves."

"Is this your real thought?" Yang Hong asked.

"Yes."

Yang Hong was silent for a while. "Alright, I agree."

Luo Maifa turned to look at him. "You're just agreeing to this?"

"Yes," Yang Hong sighed.

"Back then, thanks to his all-out support, he helped us lay the foundation. Now that the companies are on the right track, he has his own considerations. His withdrawal is also well-intentioned, and we all understand his heart. Since he has made up his mind, we should respect his choice."

Luo Maifa opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Qiang Zi sat in the corner, not having said a word. He picked up the beer bottle, poured a glass for Li Xin, and one for himself.

"I have nothing to say." Qiang Zi picked up the glass. "I support the decision you've made."

The four of them clinked glasses.

The next day, the lawyer arrived.

Li Xin had already had people prepare the equity transfer agreements. The shares of each company were reduced from forty, sixty, and thirty percent to a uniform ten percent. The excess shares were partly transferred to the brothers, and partly reserved for the company as employee equity incentives.

Yang Hong signed first. He flipped through the agreement, didn't say anything, and signed directly.

Luo Maifa hesitated for a moment, looked at Li Xin, and signed as well.

Qiang Zi was the most straightforward; he picked it up and signed it.

After signing, the four of them sat in the conference room of Yang Hong's company, and no one left.

Luo Maifa leaned back in the leather chair, spinning around. "Brother Xin, I still don't understand—what exactly are you aiming for?"

Li Xin smiled. "Aiming for peace of mind."

"Peace of mind?" Luo Maifa persisted. "You gave up tens of billions in shares just for peace of mind?"

"Not that much."

"Then how much is it? At least over ten billion, right?"

Li Xin didn't answer that. He picked up the water cup on the table and took a sip.

Yang Hong suddenly spoke up from the side. "How much money do you actually have now?"

The conference room went quiet. Luo Maifa stopped spinning, and Qiang Zi looked up at Li Xin.

Li Xin put down the water cup. "Enough to spend."

"How much is enough to spend?" Luo Maifa pressed.

"Enough to spend means enough to spend." Li Xin stood up with a smile. "Hahaha... Alright, stop asking; let's go, time to eat."

Luo Maifa still wanted to say something, but was tugged on the arm by Qiang Zi.

Several people stood up and walked out.

Yang Hong walked at the very back. He pushed up his glasses and looked at Li Xin's back. He knew this man had secrets, but he also knew that if Li Xin didn't say, he shouldn't ask.

In the evening, at the Old Place BBQ Restaurant.

Zhao Tiezhu came too. He didn't know about the equity transfer yet, so he sat down as soon as he arrived and started eating a skewer of lamb. Luo Maifa had a loose tongue and couldn't help but tell him.

Zhao Tiezhu was stunned for a moment, put down the lamb skewer, and looked at Li Xin.

"Boss Li, this is..."

"Call me Brother Xin," Li Xin said.

Zhao Tiezhu opened his mouth, and it took a long time before he could say, "Brother Xin, you..."

"Alright," Li Xin smiled and picked up his beer. "We're not talking about this today. Let's drink."

The group picked up their glasses and clinked them.

Halfway through the drinking, Yang Hong's phone rang. He took a look, answered it, said a few words, and hung up.

"Company business," he said to Li Xin. "An investor wants to invite you to dinner."

"I'm not going," Li Xin said. "You can talk to them; I won't be meeting them."

Yang Hong nodded and didn't say anything more.

By the time they dispersed, it was already late at night.

The group stood at the entrance of the BBQ restaurant. The streetlights were dim, and there was no one on the street. Luo Maifa was drunk and was being supported by Qiang Zi, still muttering something. Yang Hong took a taxi by himself. Zhao Tiezhu had come on an electric scooter, wearing a helmet; he waved at Li Xin and drove off with a put-put sound.

Qiang Zi put Luo Maifa into a taxi, then turned around to look at Li Xin.

"Brother Xin."

"Hmm?"

"I have something I want to tell you."

Li Xin looked at him.

Qiang Zi hesitated for a moment, took a photo out of his pocket, and handed it over.

Li Xin took it and looked. In the photo was a young man in military uniform, standing straight with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

"This is my younger brother," Qiang Zi's voice was a bit muffled. "He's a soldier at the border. He was seriously injured during a mission last year. He kept his leg, but he can't do strenuous exercise anymore, so the military is letting him retire."

Li Xin looked at the photo without speaking.

"He doesn't want to come back," Qiang Zi said. "He wants to do something over there. But he doesn't know what he can do."

"What does he want to do?"

"He said he wants to open a homestay. To host people traveling there. He's been there for several years, is familiar with the local area, and knows people."

Li Xin handed the photo back to him. "How much money is needed?"

Qiang Zi didn't take it. "I'm not here to ask you for money."

"I know," Li Xin said. "But you came to find me, so there must be something."

Qiang Zi was silent for a while. "I've already found a piece of land there. There's also a ready-made house that can be used after a slight renovation. The startup capital is about one million. I have five hundred thousand, and I'm still short five hundred thousand."

"I'll put it up," Li Xin said. "Consider it an investment."

Qiang Zi looked up at him. "Aren't you afraid of losing money?"

"If it loses, it's on me. If it makes money, it's your brother's."

Qiang Zi stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. He didn't say thank you again.

Under the streetlights, the shadows of the two men stretched long.

Li Xin patted Qiang Zi on the shoulder and turned to walk away.

Qiang Zi stood at the entrance of the BBQ restaurant, watching his back disappear at the end of the alley. The photo in his hand was crumpled.

He took out his phone and sent a message to his brother: "The money issue is solved."

After a while, a reply came back with one word: "Brother."

Qiang Zi stared at that word for a while, then tucked his phone back into his pocket.