Chapter 59: Taking a Share

"President Zheng, I invited you to dinner tonight with no other intentions. I simply wanted to thank you for giving our Jinxiu Group such great support."

"Not at all. I'm just looking at the long term. I believe Jinxiu and Zhengxin will be long-term partners in the future, so we shouldn't covet petty, short-term profits."

"To President Zheng, it might be a petty profit, but to Jinxiu, it represents an extremely high cost."

"President Xu, you must be joking. Jinxiu Group's strength and reputation are well-known throughout Yebai. Everyone knows Jinxiu Group is a solid, well-established enterprise."

Xu Shuyun and Zheng Qian engaged in a round of mutual business flattery.

"Sigh... what 'solid and well-established'? My father is just a bit too set in his ways. Jinxiu Group was founded in the 1970s. If we continue to run the business with his methods, I believe it won't be long before Jinxiu starts going downhill."

Zheng Qian felt that Xu Shuyun did indeed have a good business mind, as she was keenly aware of how to manage an enterprise.

If even he could realize that land transport costs were too high, how could Xu Shuyun not realize it?

If Jinxiu Group wanted to take the next step and become a large enterprise, high-tonnage transport models were absolutely essential, so it was better to start getting involved in maritime shipping early on.

"I can only do my modest part. Whether it succeeds or not, I still don't know," Xu Shuyun sighed.

She was just saying polite words on the surface. In reality, Jinxiu Group had started going downhill long ago, but she certainly couldn't say this to outsiders.

The enterprise faced many problems: transformation, operational models, and cost control.

Among them, capital was Jinxiu Group's biggest problem.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be trying so hard to reduce costs, abandoning the inefficient and high-cost land transport to consider highly efficient and cost-effective maritime shipping.

"Unlike you, President Zheng—full of energy, high-spirited, and young and promising."

Xu Shuyun had sent someone to investigate Zheng Qian's background.

Zheng Qian, a local, graduated from a certain university in Yebai, had no parents, and was an orphan.

Not long ago, he invested thirty million yuan to buy shares in Zhengxin Shipyard, but only held a 24% stake.

Two days ago, he co-invested with Boss Han, ten million yuan each, to register a gym in the Long Lake District.

He had a Rolls-Royce under his name, and it was paid for in full.

Other than that, he had no other assets.

Xu Shuyun originally thought that Rolls-Royce belonged to Zheng Qian's father or was borrowed to show off, but she didn't expect he had bought it in full, and it had been registered for less than two weeks.

Judging purely from the books, Zheng Qian was just a nouveau riche.

But upon closer reflection, Zheng Qian's background became extremely mysterious.

Buying shares in Zhengxin showed he had great foresight, choosing an industry with massive prospects for the coming years.

Co-investing in a gym was ordinary enough, but the person co-investing with Zheng Qian was Boss Han. The Wangyue Island they were currently on was entirely Boss Han's asset.

No one knew what Boss Han had gone through, but he never dabbled in any business outside the island and held no assets outside it. Being able to cooperate with him to open a gym outside the island showed that Zheng Qian had great connections.

As for buying a Rolls-Royce in full, that went without saying. A brand-new Rolls-Royce started at least at ten million yuan. Most bosses would choose to finance it to keep more cash flow, and they would register the car under their company's name to pay less tax.

Zheng Qian bought it in full and registered it under his own name, which proved he had massive capital backing him up.

Xu Shuyun grew more and more curious about Zheng Qian's true background; obviously, such a resume could not convince her.

For an ordinary young man to suddenly possess so much capital, there might be another possibility.

Zheng Qian was a 'white glove' packaged by some big shot!

He had no real ability himself, and everything he did was at the behest of some big shot, with the purpose of helping them launder money, guided by a professional team behind the scenes.

Of course, this was just Xu Shuyun's wild imagination.

Even if Zheng Qian were a front man, he would operate in economically developed coastal cities. Why would he come to a small place like Yebai?

Yet Zheng Qian's source of funds remained highly suspicious. It couldn't be that he suddenly won the Mark Six or the Double Color Ball, read a few biographies of famous people and business war novels, and now wanted to build his own business empire and forge a legendary legacy, right?

That was just too ridiculous.

But what exactly was Zheng Qian's background?

"President Xu, would you accept me buying shares?"

"Buying shares?"

"Yes, a proper investment. I mean investing in Jinxiu Group, not 'investing' in you. Don't get the wrong idea."

A blush rose on Xu Shuyun's face. She hadn't expected Zheng Qian to crack such a dirty joke with her.

"You are the Vice President of Zhengxin, and we are currently in a cooperative relationship. If you invest in Jinxiu, aren't you afraid of starting rumors at Zhengxin?"

"That's nothing. Our company has another vice president who manages three companies." Zheng Qian felt that the sooner they discussed his plan to bring down Dafu Timber, the sooner they could implement it.

"How much capital can you provide?"

Whether Zheng Qian was a front man or simply wanted to pursue her, none of that mattered. Jinxiu was currently in dire need of capital. She had also been contacting some financial magnates in coastal cities recently to see if she could raise some funds.

"How much do you need?" Zheng Qian didn't waste any time and asked directly.

He still had over a hundred million yuan in his account, which should be more than enough to acquire a stake in Jinxiu Group.

What did he mean by that?

Did it mean that however much she needed, Zheng Qian could provide?

Looking at Zheng Qian's expression, he was calm and composed, not looking very serious.

Thus, Xu Shuyun didn't take it too seriously either, treating it as casual conversation.

Jinxiu Group still had seventy to eighty million yuan on its books, but completing the expansion and corporate transformation would cost at least two hundred million.

Xu Shuyun's original plan was to let Jinxiu develop slowly first, and then officially implement the plan once they had enough capital.

But this "slow development" carried great uncertainty. If they caught a market trend, they might have two hundred million yuan on the books in a few months.

Or, the market could rapidly decline, and Jinxiu Group would decline with it, constantly laying off workers and downsizing production. It would be good enough if they didn't lose money within a few years, making it utterly impossible to have two hundred million yuan on the books.

Zheng Qian's appearance was undoubtedly a glimmer of hope for a rapid transformation and a change in the business model.

However, Xu Shuyun didn't know if Zheng Qian was serious, and how much money he could actually produce to invest in Jinxiu Group.

"President Zheng, may I ask why you want to invest in Jinxiu Group?"

Xu Shuyun voiced the question in her heart. She really couldn't understand what reason Zheng Qian could have to invest in a company that was currently going downhill.

"I simply believe in you as a person. I feel that under your leadership, Jinxiu can rebuild the legendary glory of the elder Mr. Xu's generation."

At the dinner table, besides mutual flattery, the two chatted about some casual matters. They did not go into detail regarding Zheng Qian's investment in Jinxiu Group.

After dinner, Zheng Qian returned to Jiangshan International.