2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 611 A Major Signing Move Before the New Year
"Son, come here and I have something to tell you."

After the dealer conference ended, he still had to entertain the suppliers. Boss Tan always had to go out and socialize, and by the time he got home it was already 10 p.m.

Unexpectedly, his father, Tan Lihua, was still waiting for him in the living room.

"Dad, why aren't you asleep yet? What's so important?"

In the dead of winter, people like Tan Lihua tend to go to bed early, usually around 10 o'clock. When Tan Jincheng usually comes home late, they are already asleep.

"Someone from the city called me today. Is your company going to build a new factory?"

"Hmm? Someone from the city is looking for you? Is it Uncle Lixin or someone else? Looks like the distributor in Yicheng has some connections."

It's definitely not Hu Xiaoyong. That guy doesn't have the brains. At most, he would just relay the information from the dealer conference to Tan Lixin. If it were Tan Lixin, that would make sense.

Tan Lihua shook his head: "It wasn't your Uncle Lixin, it was someone from our factory who asked me about it."

This kid's business is growing bigger and bigger, costing 12 billion a year. There are many people in the city who are eyeing this great opportunity.

But, well, never mind, I won't say anymore.

"Yes, but it's not finalized yet. I won't have time before the New Year, so just give me a rough draft. I'll handle it then, since I'm going home for the New Year anyway."

Then Tan Jincheng added, "Dad, you need to learn to say no in the future. I know it's hard, but you'll have to get used to it gradually."

From his father's expression, Tan Jincheng could tell that he didn't want to help and was very conflicted.

People say that no one knows a son better than his father, but a son can also understand his father. In Tan Jincheng's opinion, his father, Tan Lihua, can be described as a kind old man.

Living in a closed-off era, in a poor family, and being the eldest child in the family, he developed a mentality that was somewhat inclined to take on responsibilities while also being relatively insecure.

Even 10 years from now, he wouldn't be able to find a wife. He was incredibly lucky to get into a vocational school and was assigned a job in the petrochemical industry. His professional skills were definitely not a problem, but he wouldn't be considered outstanding either.

Tan Lihua's less-than-stellar abilities and the influence of his family of origin have shaped his personality, making him somewhat incapable of saying no. If his family were still as ordinary as in his previous life, he wouldn't care about having so little money.

However, now that Tan Jincheng has built his business to this extent, Tan Lihua's personality has become a major problem for him.

"Okay, I understand. I know I can't interfere in your affairs, but since you've come to me, I have to let you know so as not to offend anyone unintentionally."

Tan Lihua certainly knew what he should and shouldn't do; how could he casually agree to such a large investment from his son?

Tan Jincheng laughed and said, "It's impossible for someone in my position not to offend people. After today's press conference, there will probably be a lot of people who want me dead."

The rise of any leading company in an industry is always achieved by stepping on one small and medium-sized enterprise after another.

Once the information from today's dealer conference is disseminated, countless industry peers will tremble in fear, and countless people will be seething with hatred for Tan Jincheng.

"Sigh, you should also be careful. Keep Xiao Li with you at all times. When your business grows big, you don't really have a say in what you do," Tan Lihua sighed.

Just like his wife said, if this guy could achieve the same scale as when he first started his business, make some money, buy a house and a car, and then get married, his life might be better than it is now.

"It's not that exaggerated. It's a society governed by the rule of law. What I was saying was just a metaphor."

In business, it's impossible not to offend people. As long as you don't offend those people you can't afford to offend, it's fine. Tan Jincheng is confident that he won't offend anyone in his hometown, since he doesn't go back there often.

Investing isn't something you can just talk about on a whim.

"when are you going back?"

Tan Lihua knew that he couldn't interfere with his son's thoughts, and at the same time, he didn't want to continue the topic, so he had to change the subject.

They have to go back on the 18th of the twelfth lunar month, which is next Tuesday. Zhang Guolong and his wife will be going with them. Zhang Guolong's family is also going home for the Spring Festival this year. Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng definitely won't be going home so early.

"Around the 28th or 29th, the exact date is uncertain, we might get home around Chinese New Year. Qingqing and I are both quite busy."

Before the Lunar New Year, Tan Jincheng had to maintain contact with Mitsubishi in addition to various social engagements.

Since returning from the small town in October, negotiations with Mitsubishi have not stopped and have been maintained. The progress of the negotiations is now becoming clearer.

According to the new regulations, a foreign automaker can only have a maximum of two joint ventures in China. Mitsubishi is currently cooperating with the struggling Southeast Motor, and Changfeng has also gone out of business.

Tan Jincheng's attitude displeased Mitsubishi. Before and after Tan Jincheng's return to China, Mitsubishi had contacted some powerful domestic automakers, but these automakers had all heard the news and did not try to intercept him. Some of the automakers that were interested in cooperating were either small in scale or, like Southeast Motor, barely surviving, and even less powerful than Weilai Motor.

After going around in circles, Mitsubishi, still confused, was quite frustrated. It seemed that if they didn't cooperate with Weilai Motors, they would be doomed in the Chinese market.
Mitsubishi's negotiation team was genuinely bewildered. When did Chinese companies become so united and stop undermining each other?
Having become more compliant, Mitsubishi had no choice but to re-examine the negotiations. According to the previous agreement, FlashTech first launched a tender offer for the 14.59% stake held by Mitsubishi, which has already been completed, and the 3.5 million RMB in cash has long been received.

After the acquisition was completed, Mitsubishi officially withdrew from Changfeng Motors. The joint venture slot that was vacated could only go to Weilai Motors if there was no competition.

In fact, Tan Jincheng was just a bit assertive; the solution he offered wasn't bad.

Previously, Mitsubishi only owned 14.59% of Changfeng Motor and 25% of Southeast Motor, while it had equal shares in other Nissan brands, making a fortune.

This time, Weilai Auto's proposed cooperation plan is also to form a new joint venture company with a 50:50 split. Mitsubishi has already made a huge profit in terms of shares alone.

After several months of negotiations, Mitsubishi and Weilai Motors are expected to sign a joint venture memorandum in Ningbo on December 19th (the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month).

The formal signing will be completed after the Chinese New Year in February.

Tan Jincheng's idea is to introduce Mitsubishi's Outlander to China. The domestic market for 7-seater SUVs is still relatively lacking, and the Outlander is definitely a distinctive vehicle. Most importantly, it should be the cheapest 7-seater joint venture brand.

Although it has many flaws, such as the limited space in the last row, all of these flaws are worthless in the face of its low price.

"Go home as soon as possible. If it gets too late and there's traffic, we might miss the New Year's Eve dinner."

“I know, there’s a big event with Mitsubishi before the New Year, and I have to finish that before I can go back; Dad, go to sleep, it’s quite late today.”

Before they knew it, the father and son had been chatting in the living room for an hour. It was 11 o'clock, far from Tan Jincheng's bedtime, but Old Tan was already feeling a bit restless.

"Alright then, that's settled then. You should go to sleep early too."

After thinking for a moment, Tan Lihua smiled wryly and said, "If I bring Jin Yue home in a few days, she'll probably throw a tantrum again. This little brat is at an age that even dogs hate."

“Then you have to take her back with you. There’s no one at home and we’re too busy to take care of her. I can’t take her with me everywhere I go.”

Tan Jinyue already had a large vocabulary, and after attending kindergarten for a semester, she has grown a lot. Her IQ is much higher than that of her peers.

According to her kindergarten teacher, regardless of age, Tan Jinyue's vocabulary is more than enough to be in the middle class of kindergarten.

Early the next morning.

Hu Xiaoyong arrived with a bag of gifts. He was asked by his brother-in-law to inquire if Tan Jincheng's family needed any help preparing for their trip back to their hometown for the Chinese New Year.

Although cousins ​​are not as close as blood brothers, they are still brothers. Tan Lixin, who benefited from this relationship, is very good at handling things and has a much broader perspective than Tan Lihua's blood brothers.

FlashTech's Wangjiang Industrial Park didn't get a share of the steel for the first phase of the project; there was nothing he could do about it, as his scale wasn't large enough at the time.

However, he still wants to eat some in the second and third phases. There's nothing shameful about that. As long as the quality meets the standards, he can definitely take it.

Tan Lihua was quite happy about Hu Xiaoyong's arrival. People often came to visit his hometown, but they all had some ulterior motive, unlike Hu Xiaoyong.

Although he was representing Tan Lixin, the guy was quite guileless, and it was comfortable chatting with him.

You could say he's lucky; normally, this kind of personality isn't suited for business, especially in a place like Yicheng where there are so many shrewd people.

"How did you get here? When are you planning to go back?"

Tan Jincheng and his wife were still sleeping, and Tan Jinyue, the lazybones, hadn't gotten up yet. These three were like ancestors, and the couple didn't plan to wake them up. Instead, they invited Hu Xiaoyong to have breakfast together.

"Aren't we waiting for President Tan and the others? I came by car and was planning to go back today."

"We're not waiting any longer. Are you in a hurry? If not, come back with us. We're going back on the 18th of the twelfth lunar month, which is only a couple of days away. You can stay here for a couple of days, visit the factory, or buy some local specialties to take back."

Hu Xiaoyong was truly naive. When Tan Lihua said there was no need to wait, he unceremoniously sat down and started eating steamed buns: "Today is the sixteenth of the twelfth lunar month. Waiting for two more days won't hurt. I'll just hitch a ride back with you, brother."

"There's nothing to prepare. We'll bring back anything you need from here. You can just stay here and relax for a couple of days."

This time when they go home, Tan Jincheng will send two drivers to accompany them, and there will be someone to help with any preparations needed. The couple only needs to fill out a form, and their family back home doesn't need to worry about anything.

If you don't consider the boredom, this life is indeed quite comfortable, and everything is arranged perfectly.

(End of this chapter)