Thinking to myself, you seemed reluctant to pretend to be an employee of our company earlier, so why are you now claiming to be a shareholder? Our company has no outsiders as shareholders; they are all basically from the Wang family. Mr. Yue may have heard about this. If Mr. Yue asks about it later, how will you explain this lie?
Thinking about this, Wang Xuewei suddenly realized that her previous idea seemed to have some problems... It seems that 49% of Xinda Daily Chemical's shares have already been allocated to Zhou Ziwei, the holder of the gasification laundry detergent formula.
So if she says that there are no outsiders among the shareholders of Xinda Daily Chemicals... wouldn't that be tantamount to her acknowledging that Zhou Ziwei is also a member of the Wang family? If her marriage to Zhou Ziwei is real, then a son-in-law is like half a son, which isn't wrong, but in reality...
"A minor shareholder of Xinda Daily Chemicals? I've never heard of Xinda Daily Chemicals having a minor shareholder like you?" Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Mr. Yue's eyes, and he couldn't help but turn his gaze to Wang Xuewei, wanting to hear her explanation.
Wang Xuewei was immediately struck by a headache. She hadn't expected that after that guy made up such a lie, she would have to help him cover it up. But she couldn't ignore the situation now. If she exposed Zhou Ziwei's words and said that nothing of the sort happened, Mr. Yue would probably have Zhou Ziwei kicked out immediately.
Left with no other choice, Wang Xuewei could only force a smile and say, "Oh... it's like this, our company has launched a new project and expanded its scale a bit. Um... this Mr. Zhang is a new shareholder of our Xinda Daily Chemicals."
"Ah... I see, Mr. Zhang... It's a pleasure to meet you." Mr. Yue had business dealings with Xinda, so he naturally knew a bit about Xinda's affairs. He had heard that Xinda Daily Chemicals had added a major shareholder, whose shareholding was said to have even exceeded that of Wang Guohui, the founder and current chairman of Xinda Daily Chemicals. However, he didn't know who the major shareholder was. Now, upon hearing Wang Xuewei's words, he immediately connected Zhou Ziwei with the legendary new major shareholder.
But I have to say... this guy's connections are pretty reliable. Although Zhou Ziwei's current public identity is surnamed Zhang, he is actually the largest shareholder of Xinda Daily Chemicals to date.
"Hehe... I didn't expect Mr. Zhang to come in person today. I am unworthy of such an honor. Come, come... Mr. Zhang, please..."
When Mr. Yue realized that this person was someone who could truly take charge at Xinda Daily Chemicals, his previous unpleasant feelings immediately lessened.
After all, the higher the status of the person who comes, the more exorbitant the price will be, right? At least Wang Xuewei... he certainly won't let her go either.
They were led into a large, luxurious private room that resembled a palace. There were already several people in the room, including three men and two women. The men were all middle-aged men in their thirties or forties, while the two women were one in her twenties and the other looked to be in her early thirties. However, both of them were quite attractive and dressed in a bright and charming manner.
"Come, come... let me introduce you..."
Mr. Yue walked into the room and immediately began to chat with a smile, saying, "These two are Mr. Zhang and Ms. Wang from Xinda Daily Chemicals, and these are all senior executives of our Hengda Trading Company... And this one..." Mr. Yue pointed to a woman who looked to be in her early thirties and said, "This is Ms. Oshima Yumiko... the representative of Shin-Ei Co., Ltd. in Japan. Come, come... Mr. Zhang, you should get to know Ms. Oshima Yumiko better..."
While downstairs, Wang Xuewei briefly explained the purpose of the banquet to Zhou Ziwei. It turns out that Xinda Daily Chemicals needs to purchase a batch of advanced production lines because the production process of its new vaporized laundry detergent powder is fundamentally different from any of its previous products.
Wang Guohui used his previous connections to contact various equipment manufacturing companies around the world. He eventually discovered that Shin-Ei Co., Ltd. in Japan had a semi-obsolete old production line that they were willing to sell. Although their production line was old, its various indicators were several levels more advanced than most similar production equipment in China.
Now, Xinda Daily Chemicals is facing a huge funding gap. It would be a pipe dream for Xinda Daily Chemicals to purchase a brand new production line in its current state. Even if it were to get a loan from a bank, it wouldn't be able to borrow much money. Helpless, it had no choice but to turn its attention to the production lines of Shin-Ei in Japan.
However, Japan has technology protection measures in place to prevent such technologically advanced equipment from flowing into China. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on Mr. Yue's Hengda Trading Company to transport those sets of equipment into China.
Xinda Daily Chemicals is currently facing severe difficulties. The funds they have managed to scrape together, even by selling their possessions, are simply not enough to cover the cost of importing this equipment.
Otherwise, there would be no need for Wang Xuewei to come and negotiate in person.
In fact, Wang Xuewei intended to use some of Xinda Daily Chemical's shares as collateral to transport those production lines back first. Before that, she could only prepay 50% of the payment to Japan's Shin-Yi Co., Ltd., while Mr. Yue's Hengda Trading Company's freight charges... would have to be owed for now.
These debts will only be settled once the equipment is returned and the new product is officially put into production.
These days, businesses generally operate on a cash-on-delivery basis; otherwise, collecting payments can be a never-ending hassle. Therefore, it's not easy for Xinda Daily Chemicals to meet this requirement.
It's somewhat easier to negotiate with Shin-Ei Co., Ltd. in Japan, since there's still 50% of the payment outstanding. As long as there's collateral, they'll most likely agree.
Mr. Yue's problem is a bit more complicated. You don't pay him a penny beforehand, but you expect him to work for you for free... No one would be willing to do that.
Although Xinda Daily Chemicals has pledged some of its shares as collateral, it depends on whether others recognize the value of the company's stock.
Now it seems... your company can't even afford such a small amount of shipping costs, so you can imagine how difficult the company's situation is. It's possible that the company will go bankrupt before the new product is even developed. And if the company goes bankrupt, the shares they put up as collateral might all become worthless.
So... getting Mr. Yue to agree to this is really not an easy task.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei frowned inwardly, cursing his father-in-law for being such a scoundrel, making Wang Xuewei handle such a difficult task.
Doesn't he know how devastatingly beautiful the woman he gave birth to is, making men unable to resist having all sorts of wicked thoughts the moment they see her?
If this matter were handled by someone else, Mr. Yue might only be able to get more entangled in the issue of interests. But since Wang Xuewei is handling it... then without a doubt, it would be a miracle if the other party didn't want to take advantage of Wang Xuewei during this opportunity...
It seems that old man Wang Guohui really doesn't care about his daughter... Come to think of it... Zhou Ziwei's previous life was a notorious playboy, a standard good-for-nothing who knew nothing but eating, drinking, gambling and whoring. If Wang Guohui would marry his daughter to someone like that, then... how could you expect that old man to care about his daughter?
Zhou Ziwei suppressed his anger and sat down next to Oshima Yumiko with a forced smile, only to see that the woman had an arrogant look on her face. She glanced at him sideways and then immediately turned her face away, as if she disdained to speak to him.
Zhou Ziwei helplessly touched his nose, guessing that his current appearance was too ordinary, and Japanese women were said to be quite... well, it was understandable that they weren't interested in him now, so Zhou Ziwei wasn't surprised.
Mr. Yue arranged for Zhou Ziwei to sit next to Yumiko Oshima, but he had already reserved a place for Wang Xuewei next to him. This was premeditated. Although Wang Xuewei felt a little uneasy, she could not refuse her master's arrangement and had no choice but to sit down. At the same time, she cast a pleading look towards Zhou Ziwei with some unease.
To everyone's surprise, Zhou Ziwei seemed not to notice at all. As soon as the waiters started bringing out the exquisite dishes, his eyes widened. Ignoring the polite exchanges between the people around him, he immediately picked up his plate, grabbed a large hairy crab, gutted it, and began to devour it...
Everyone was stunned. They never expected that this guest, who had come to ask for a favor, would be so rude. He didn't even utter a single word of courtesy or politeness, and he started eating before the host had even begun. This was truly... extremely rude...
"Oh... God."
Wang Xuewei was equally surprised that Zhou Ziwei would be so "generous". She immediately regretted the decision she had made on the spur of the moment. However, she had already said what she was going to say. Was she supposed to deny that she didn't know this guy at all?
The Japanese woman, as if avoiding a plague, hurriedly moved her chair to the side, trying to stay as far away from Zhou Ziwei as possible so as not to be shocked by his eating habits.
"Ahem..." Seeing that everyone at the table was stunned, Mr. Yue, as the host, could only cough lightly, trying his best not to look at Zhou Ziwei with disdain. Then he picked up the wine glass in front of him, and said to Wang Xuewei with a smile, "Miss Wang, you are late today... According to our Chinese customs, you should at least drink three cups of wine as a penalty!"
"I'm sorry... I don't drink alcohol."
Wang Xuewei naturally knew what Mr. Yue's purpose was, and how could she dare to drink too much in this kind of situation? The people in front of her were obviously seasoned drinkers, with plenty of tricks to get people to drink. Wang Xuewei was sure that as long as she drank the first cup, there would be a second, a third... a tenth cup waiting for her. So she had no choice but to say that she couldn't drink and try her best to stay abstain from alcohol. Perhaps only in this way could she preserve her innocence.
However, Wang Xuewei clearly underestimated Mr. Yue's determination to seduce her. As soon as Wang Xuewei said "I can't drink," he immediately slammed his wine glass on the table, his face darkening, and said, "Miss Wang, are you underestimating me? Can't drink... Haha... That's ridiculous. Drinking is nothing more than pouring alcohol down your throat. Anyone who can drink water can drink alcohol. Miss Wang, you don't mean you can't even drink water, do you?"
"I...I really can't drink..."
Seeing Mr. Yue's expression change, Wang Xuewei panicked a little, but she would never change her bottom line because of this. She could only lower her head and repeat what she had just said.
Mr. Yue sneered and said, "So you really don't give me, Mr. Yue, any face, huh... Since Miss Wang looks down on me so much, then I think... there's no need for us to continue this business! To be honest, I have absolutely no interest in your Xinda Daily Chemicals shares. Who knows when that stuff will become worthless? The only reason I gave you Xinda Daily Chemicals this opportunity to negotiate was because of our past cooperation. But... since Wang Xuewei looks down on me so much, then we have no relationship to talk about. In that case, why should I pay you to do this favor... Ms. Oshima, what do you think? If you still want to continue negotiating this business with Miss Wang... then I'll withdraw first. Of course... even if the business doesn't work out, we can still be friends. This meal will still be on me, Mr. Yue, so you don't need to worry about that."
As Mr. Yue spoke, he stood up. The other people from Hengda Trading Company also stood up when their boss spoke. At the same time, their previously cheerful expressions turned cold, and they no longer gave Wang Xuewei and Zhou Ziwei any friendly looks.
Seeing this, Oshima Yumiko quickly stood up as well, her face also cold. In broken Chinese, she said, "Oh... Miss Wang, I deeply sympathize with your company's predicament. However, Xinyi cannot accept your company's condition of only paying half price for the time being. Xinyi also has no interest in your company's shares. So... if you really need this batch of equipment, you should prepare sufficient funds as soon as possible, and... solve the transportation problem yourself. After all, selling equipment to your country is a risky move for Xinyi itself. Please understand, Miss Wang... In addition... I regret to inform you... you only have one week to prepare the funds. If you are still unable to pay the full amount after one week, then we will have to dispose of this batch of equipment elsewhere."
"Ah...this..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xuewei's expression changed instantly. She hurriedly stood up and said, "Ms. Oshima, can we talk this over some more? Perhaps you don't know, but our company's newly developed product has a very promising market prospect. If you really have the opportunity to invest in our company's shares, it's absolutely a sure thing that you'll make a profit..."
Yumiko Oshima shook her head slightly and said, "I'm sorry... Shin-Yi really has absolutely no interest in investing in a small Chinese company like yours. I apologize..."
Wang Xuewei had long anticipated that achieving this goal would be difficult, but she hadn't expected it to be this difficult—the other party simply refused to sit down and give her a proper conversation.
This rendered all her prepared remarks useless.
The thought that if Xinda Daily Chemicals couldn't acquire this batch of equipment, it would face an awkward situation: having a promising production project but lacking even the most basic equipment needed for production. Xinda Daily Chemicals was already heavily indebted, and if it couldn't start production, the debt would only increase, making it even more difficult to raise funds. Without funds, the new project would never be able to truly start production... This would be a vicious cycle and a nightmare for Xinda Daily Chemicals.
When Zhou Ziwei provided the formula for the vaporized laundry detergent powder, Wang Guohui was quite confident that the project could be successfully put into small-scale production.
Although Xinda Daily Chemicals is facing a tight cash flow situation, it's not as dire as it is now, where it's practically facing a lack of funds.
The main reason was that the Zhou Group later had that incident, which severely affected Xinda Daily Chemical, which was dependent on the Zhou Group. Originally, some creditors were only giving Xinda Daily Chemical such lenient conditions because of the Zhou Group. But seeing that even Xinda Daily Chemical's big backer, the Zhou Group, was facing the danger of bankruptcy, how could they continue to be so polite to Xinda Daily Chemical?
So almost overnight, debt collectors started chasing after customers, goods were cut off, and one of Xinda Daily Chemical's distributors even absconded with all the payments from the past six months to a foreign country... In an instant, Xinda Daily Chemical faced a dire situation even faster than the Zhou Group. All its cash flow was cut off, and its accounts were basically only seeing outflows without inflows. At this point, it was even having trouble paying its workers' wages, let alone coming up with such a large sum of money to buy production equipment.
When Wang Guohui heard that Zhou Ziwei had been appointed as the new chairman of the Zhou Group, he wanted to ask Zhou Ziwei for help again. However, Wang Xuewei firmly refused. Firstly, it was made clear when they signed the contract that Zhou Ziwei would only provide technical support and would not invest a single penny in Xinda Daily Chemicals.
In addition... Wang Xuewei also knew that Zhou Ziwei was actually having a difficult time as chairman. Even though the Zhou family had not yet fallen into the dangerous situation of Xinda Daily Chemicals, it could not stay in a state of complacency for long.
Moreover, even if Zhou Ziwei really wanted to help, he probably wouldn't be able to, because his first decision after taking office was to immediately freeze all of the Zhou Group's accounts and business dealings.
Before the funds are officially unfrozen, even he, as the chairman, probably won't be able to withdraw a single penny from the Zhou Group's accounts.
Therefore... Xinda Daily Chemicals can only rely on itself.
The thought that if they couldn't buy back this batch of equipment, Xinda Chemical might really go bankrupt at any time brought tears to Wang Xuewei's eyes, and crystal-clear tears began to glisten within them...
"well……"
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei sighed softly and finally put down the hairy crab that he had already gnawed clean...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 198: I Have a Husband
As Mr. Yue picked up his briefcase, he turned around and saw Zhou Ziwei stop eating. He smiled and said, "Hehe... Brother, don't be shy, eat as much as you want... There was originally food for eight people, but now it's just the two of you eating... Oh... It seems Miss Wang isn't in the mood to eat anymore either, so you'll have to fight alone, brother! By the way, remember to pack up any leftovers, otherwise it'll be a waste."
After saying this, Mr. Yue walked over to Wang Xuewei, looking at her coldly with an arrogant expression. He said, "Perhaps you have your own pride, but... I think it won't be long before you regret your decision today. Because of your pride, you will ruin your father's life's work. I think... even if your father doesn't say it on the surface, he must hate you in his heart, right? Think about it carefully! If you are willing to give me face and become my friend... then not only will I not charge you a penny for this transportation, but... even temporarily covering half of the funds for purchasing the equipment is not out of the question... Hehe, but you have to make a decision quickly. If you regret it after I walk out this door, it will be too late..."
After Mr. Yue finished speaking, he wiggled his fat belly and began to walk slowly toward the door. He deliberately walked very slowly, partly to give Wang Xuewei more time to think, and partly to put more pressure on her psychologically.
Sure enough... as she heard Mr. Yue's footsteps fading into the distance, Wang Xuewei's mind became a jumbled mess, and she hesitated for a moment...
Zhou Ziwei, who had originally intended to say something, swallowed his words upon seeing this scene and simply observed Wang Xuewei's reaction quietly, wanting to see what choice she would make in this situation.
Is she willing to sacrifice her own innocence for the sake of the entire Xinda Daily Chemicals company, or would she rather see Xinda Daily Chemicals go bankrupt than let that fat pig ruin it?
Although Zhou Ziwei wasn't able to read Wang Xuewei's mind and didn't know what she was thinking, he guessed that there was a high probability that Wang Xuewei would agree to that fat pig's proposal. Since she could marry the original Zhou Ziwei against her will to help Xinda Daily Chemicals overcome its difficulties, then why wouldn't she sacrifice her innocence a second time for Xinda Daily Chemicals?
Zhou Ziwei's lips twitched slightly. He didn't know what he should do if Wang Xuewei really chose to agree to Mr. Yue's offer. Should he take off his mask and use his status as her husband to humiliate her severely, or... simply leave and never speak to this woman again?
In reality, there was no relationship between Zhou Ziwei and Wang Xuewei. Wang Xuewei married the original Zhou Ziwei, who was completely different from the current Zhou Ziwei, who only had the body but not the spirit. Their relationship was not even comparable to that of a neighbor next door.
So... Zhou Ziwei didn't seem to need to be sad or jealous because of Wang Xuewei's decision, but... Zhou Ziwei knew he simply couldn't do it.
Fortunately, Wang Xuewei didn't let Zhou Ziwei linger there for too long. Before Mr. Yue had gone even halfway, she suddenly raised her head and called out in a steady voice, "Mr. Yue..."
"Ah... how is it? Darling... have you finally figured it out?" Mr. Yue stopped immediately upon hearing Wang Xuewei's call, turned around, and excitedly looked at Wang Xuewei's breathtakingly beautiful face, wishing he could pounce on her and devour her whole...
Wang Xuewei's face immediately darkened, and she said, "Mr. Yue, please have some self-respect. I just want to tell you... I... I am actually married. I... although I really want to help my father keep Xinda Daily Chemicals, I... I can't let my husband down because of this, so... please don't waste any more time on me!"
"Your husband?" Mr. Yue paused for a moment, then snorted coldly and said, "I know, I heard your husband is the eldest son of some rich man, but he's a complete good-for-nothing. Fine! I don't care why you're asking this, I'll just ask you one last question... Are you really sure you don't need my help?"
Wang Xuewei nodded, her face pale, and said, "Yes...no need."
"Alright then!" Mr. Yue said with a sneer, "I'm sure you'll regret it soon enough."
Having said that, he stopped dawdling and immediately strode out the door...
"Wait a moment……"
Zhou Ziwei, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, finally spoke up. He had finally gotten a result that satisfied him. Regardless of whether Wang Xuewei had just said that she was only using this excuse to appease Mr. Yue or if she really meant it, Zhou Ziwei felt indescribably happy after hearing this. He immediately stood up and loudly stopped the people who were leaving the room.
"What... Mr. Zhang, is there anything else you want to say?" Mr. Yue's eyes lit up when he heard Zhou Ziwei's shout. He remembered that this man was likely a major shareholder of Xinda Daily Chemicals, so his words might influence Wang Xuewei's decision.
As the major shareholder of Xinda Daily Chemicals, he certainly wouldn't stand by and watch his company collapse, so he was almost certain that the other party would help him persuade Wang Xuewei.
Because he was hoping that Zhou Ziwei could help him win over the beautiful woman in front of him, Mr. Yue's attitude towards Zhou Ziwei was more amiable than ever before.
But to his surprise, Zhou Ziwei didn't appreciate his gesture at all. He just gave a cold snort and said, "I wasn't talking to you. You can get lost now."
"What...what did you say?"
Mr. Yue thought he had misheard, and stood there in surprise, staring blankly at Zhou Ziwei, before asking him a question.
“I told you to get lost.” Zhou Ziwei gave Yue Pangzi the middle finger in a very inelegant way and said, “I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let it slide for now. Get out of my sight right now, or else… hmph, you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
"You...you dare talk to me like that." At this moment, the fat man's pale face turned completely purple with anger, his whole body of fat trembled violently, rising and falling like waves, and his breathing was like that of someone who had just finished a long run, panting heavily, with bursts of hot air coming out of his mouth. It was estimated that if this guy didn't breathe so fast, his lungs might have exploded from anger.
"Fine, you've got guts...you...you've got guts, so don't run away." After saying that, Mr. Yue immediately pulled out his phone, which was trembling, and quickly dialed a number while walking out of the private room with several other people from his company.
"Ms. Oshima, please wait a moment."
Seeing that Oshima Yumiko was about to follow them out, Zhou Ziwei quickly waved to her and said, "Our business isn't finished yet. Come... sit down and let's continue."