DAEYTT Chapter 041: Now Worth Hundreds of Millions...

Wang Qian and Qin Xuerong sat down in the office where they had just eaten hot pot. Tang Feifei then brought in two people: a middle-aged man and a young woman, both dressed formally.

The middle-aged man wore a suit and gold-rimmed glasses, his hair meticulously styled, and his expression humble. He extended his hand to Wang Qian as he entered, saying, "Hello, boss. I was standing outside listening to you sing just now. It was so good, I almost cried."

Wang Qian stood up and shook his hand. "You're too kind. Please, have a seat."

The middle-aged man smiled, turned to the young woman behind him, nodded, and then sat down opposite Wang Qian. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gao Donghai, the head of Zhongyuan Group in Shanghai. You can call me Lao Gao. In fact, this is my fifth visit to see you, Mr. Wang. I couldn’t meet you the previous times. This time, my assistant informed me that you posted on Weibo that you’d be at the store, so I immediately came over, and I finally got to meet you."

He handed Wang Qian a business card as he spoke.

Wang Qian took the card, glanced at it, and casually placed it on the table. He smiled, "Sorry for making you come so many times. Actually, my store manager should have already made it clear to you that I’m not selling my store."

Gao Donghai nodded, "Yes, Manager Tang and another store manager, Manager Mo, both told me very clearly that you won’t sell the store or any shares. But we have other cooperation plans. At Zhongyuan Group, we always believe in win-win cooperation."

Wang Qian didn’t want to waste time and said directly, "Then, Mr. Gao, please go ahead and tell me your cooperation plan."

Gao Donghai was taken aback by Wang Qian's directness, but he quickly recovered and said, "Alright, Mr. Wang, you are straightforward. I won't beat around the bush either. Our group is very optimistic about Haidilao. Now, Haidilao has established a great reputation in Shanghai’s dining industry, with business booming every day."

"Moreover, we found that Mr. Wang values heavy assets, owning the properties of both stores. This shows Mr. Wang's long-term vision for running the business. Our group has three cooperation proposals for Mr. Wang."

Wang Qian nodded, indicating for him to continue.

Seeing Wang Qian's serious expression, Gao Donghai was pleased, thinking there might be a chance. He continued, "The first proposal is that we will invest 300 million to fully acquire the Haidilao brand and both stores. I know Mr. Wang will probably not agree to this proposal."

He looked at Wang Qian’s expression and continued, "The second proposal is that we only acquire the Haidilao brand for 50 million. Then the Haidilao brand would belong to our group, and Mr. Wang, you can continue operating but under a different name, with no connection to Haidilao."

"The third proposal is for us to take an equity stake. Currently, we value Haidilao at 300 million. We would invest 200 million for a 30% stake, resulting in a post-investment valuation of 500 million. Alternatively, we could invest 200 million to purchase a 50% stake directly from Mr. Wang."

"Regardless of which proposal Mr. Wang accepts, we can discuss specific details and prices. Mr. Wang can bring up any suggestions for discussion."

Gao Donghai concluded with a firm voice, "Our Zhongyuan Group comes with absolute sincerity."

Wang Qian nodded heavily, "Yes, I can sense your sincerity. I will consider it seriously. Thank you, Mr. Gao, for coming all this way."

Uh!

Gao Donghai was stunned, looking at Wang Qian with wide eyes. "Mr. Wang, what do you mean?"

Wang Qian said seriously, "I mean that I understand your group's proposals, Mr. Gao. I need time to discuss and consult with my friends, and I need some time to consider it carefully, right?"

Gao Donghai thought about it and nodded, "Alright, then please give us a reply as soon as possible. This is very important for our group's development strategy in Shanghai."

Wang Qian: "Well, to avoid delaying you, you shouldn't include Haidilao in your group's strategy. I'm a very cautious person, so it might take me a long time to consider."

Gao Donghai looked carefully at Wang Qian and saw that he wasn't joking. He smiled awkwardly, "Mr. Wang, you really know how to joke."

Wang Qian stood up, "Let me see you out, Mr. Gao."

It was a polite way of showing him the door!

Gao Donghai smiled awkwardly again, "No need to trouble you, Mr. Wang. We’ll take our leave now. Please consider carefully and give us a reply as soon as possible!"

Wang Qian nodded and watched as Gao Donghai and his assistant left.

The entire interaction lasted only a few minutes.

Qin Xuerong locked the office door, crossed her arms, touched her chin, and with a serious expression, said, "Zhongyuan Group is indeed sincere. They need Haidilao to help them capture the market in Shanghai. However, I think they have underestimated the Haidilao brand. The price is a bit low. If you want to cooperate with them, you can accept the equity stake, but the valuation should be raised to at least 500 million."

"In fact, with Haidilao's current turnover, a valuation of 500 million is a bit low. But since Haidilao has only recently emerged... if it can maintain its current performance for another six months, its valuation will be at least 1 billion!"

Wang Qian took a sip of water and waved dismissively, "It doesn't matter what the valuation is, I'm not selling. If they have low-interest or interest-free loans, I'd be happy to use them."

Qin Xuerong laughed, "They don't, but I do! How much do you need? Anything under 100 million, I can get it to you in a day with just a signature."

Wang Qian shook his head, unwilling to take Qin Xuerong's money, "Forget it. By the end of the year, when my third store opens and business picks up, I'll talk to the bank."

With three stores as a foundation, Wang Qian felt confident about getting a bank loan for expansion.

If it weren’t for his cautious approach, he could have started expanding with loans after the second store opened. By the end of the year, with three successful stores, Wang Qian would have no worries about expansion. Even if a new store's business failed, it wouldn’t cripple his business.

Planning for failure before seeking success was Wang Qian's principle.

Qin Xuerong pouted unhappily, "If you don't want my money, I can introduce you to a friend at the bank who can help you get the maximum loan with the lowest interest rate."

Wang Qian smiled, "Thank you, but there's no need. I have my own plans."

Qin Xuerong replied, "Alright then, as long as you have a plan. But if you ever run into trouble, I hope you won't forget about me."

Wang Qian nodded seriously, "I won't."

Qin Xuerong smiled, "You said it yourself, remember that."

Wang Qian walked out of the office, "Yes, I'll remember! I'm heading home now. What about you? Are you staying here a bit longer or heading home as well?"

Qin Xuerong, of course, wanted to go home with Wang Qian, as it felt like they were getting off work and going home together. "I'll go with you, I can give you a ride."

She took off her apron and walked toward Tang Feifei.

Tang Feifei saw them off through the back door of Haidilao.

When they got to the front of the store, they saw it was still packed with people. There were at least a few hundred people outside, although the customers inside had already changed. Many streamers and internet celebrities were walking around, either live streaming or taking pictures under the Haidilao sign, turning it into a popular check-in spot.

Qin Xuerong drove Wang Qian back to the residential area and wanted to walk him upstairs. However, Wang Qian insisted she stay in the car, so she could only watch him go upstairs.

After getting closer to Wang Qian and becoming familiar, Qin Xuerong stopped acting on her own accord and decided to take things slowly, maintaining their friendship. She believed that her sincere efforts would eventually succeed.

Sitting in the car, she recalled the moments she spent with Wang Qian that afternoon and a silly smile gradually appeared on her face. She especially remembered his song, feeling a mix of joy and slight sadness. She could sense that the song contained Wang Qian's memories and certain regrets, not only for Tang Feifei and Li Yan but also for himself.

Qin Xuerong knew Wang Qian must have gone through something, which is why he was so guarded and had locked his emotions away. He had told her that he had been divorced. "He must have been heartbroken!" she thought.

Feeling a pang of sadness, she wanted to go upstairs, sit with Wang Qian, listen to his thoughts, comfort him, and enter his heart. She sat in the car, lost in thought for over half an hour, until a phone call from Jiang Yu snapped her back to reality. She immediately answered and then quickly drove to the airport.

...

Wang Qian got home, ran a hot bath, and soaked in the bathtub, allowing himself to relax completely. Lying in the water, he thought about Zhongyuan Group's offer and smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment. After seven or eight years of hard work, he had finally amassed a fortune worth over a hundred million. He felt proud as a time traveler.

Lying in the bathtub, he opened his laptop and checked the music website. The data for his four songs had increased slightly again, but still not as much as Li Qingyao's. Good things need proper promotion, he mused. However, he was already quite satisfied with the current performance of his four songs. After all, there was plenty of time ahead.

He logged into his Weibo account, which was bustling with activity. His follower count had risen again, now surpassing 1.4 million, with daily increases that were noticeable. Most of the comments under his posts were about his new unreleased song, "Those Flowers."

Something else also caught Wang Qian's eye. Sophie was calling him "Dad"? That internet celebrity? Wang Qian widened his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things.


NEXT