Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 481 "Secret Struggle"

Qu Ming seemed to have anticipated Chen Zhe's rebuttal, because the negotiation strategy was "back and forth" rather than a fixed price, and in the end, it was about who had more cards to play.

The strength of Wanta lies in the fact that during the early stages of the real estate agency's development, both its physical stores and training headquarters relied heavily on Wanta's resources.

If the money is suddenly withdrawn at this time, the intermediary company will inevitably fall into chaos, and it will still need Wan Da's support to conquer the national market in the future.

After all, it seems that Chen Zhe's comfort zone is still the internet industry. He still needs an experienced mentor to guide him in the real estate industry, as he is not yet familiar with it.

"Mr. Chen, if you have any opinions, you can share them with us."

Qu Ming leaned forward. He was most afraid that Chen would remain silent. As long as they could communicate, there would be room for negotiation.

"My alma mater's 15% stake cannot be touched."

Chen first stated his bottom line.

The "bottom line" is like a forbidden zone that cannot be crossed; once you cross it, it could lead to you being forced to leave.

Qu Ming nodded.

In fact, they didn't want to get involved with Sun Yat-sen University's shares. Offending a 985 university with a vice-ministerial level and a large number of outstanding graduates for no reason would be crazy.

Qu Ming's words were more of a negotiation tactic, forcing Chen to voluntarily use his own shares to fill the gap.

The ideal arrangement from the board of directors is 15% for CUHK, 30% for Chen Zhe, 40% for Wan Da, and 15% for Qu Ming.

Unfortunately, Chen's next sentence shattered the Wanda Board of Directors' illusions.

"I must own more than 50% of the company's shares."

This is Chen Zhuo's principle.

The concept of "principles" is not as inviolable as "bottom lines." If the other party is too assertive, then the "principles" can be adjusted appropriately.

However, if we calculate it this way, from 50% + 15% = 65%, then Wan Da's side can only own a maximum of 35% of the shares.

This was not in the company's best interest, but Qu Ming was not angry.

Business negotiations aren't like those in novels about dragon kings or kings of soldiers, where people just start fighting each other without thinking at the slightest disagreement.

As I said before, as long as conditions are proposed, negotiations can continue.

"As for the remaining shares, if Wan Da wants to acquire them..."

Chen was about to state his conditions.

The concept of "conditions" is even more devoid of a specific standard; it's like a girl's heart, unpredictable and ever-changing.

"Worth 400 million."

Chen said, enunciating each word clearly.

"puff!"

The driver that Qu Ming brought couldn't help but choke while drinking water and started coughing violently.

"Is this kid crazy? He actually dares to ask for 400000000? Doesn't he know there are eight zeros after that?"

This is what the driver was thinking.

"What are you doing? Go outside and cough!"

However, Qu Ming was very unhappy and scolded the driver with a stern face.

Chen is no nobody, nor is he just any ordinary contractor. We're having a power struggle here, what right does a mere driver like you have to give your opinion?
Especially when he was making his own demands, even when faced with a tentative low price of 400 million, Chen Zhe remained very calm.

However, the driver's exaggerated performance, which showed a lack of education, made his own side look like uncultured bumpkins.

The driver meekly agreed and dared not utter another word.

Chen squinted, remaining silent and uncomfortably composed, like a meditating Buddha.

"Please don't take offense, Mr. Chen."

It wasn't until Qu Ming nodded and apologized: "Young people are narrow-minded and easily become emotional."

Chen opened his eyes and smiled nonchalantly. It seemed like Lao Qu was taking this opportunity to call me out.
I deliberately multiplied the 400 million by 100, and he probably thought I was just being temperamental.

"Chairman Qu, calm down."

Chen picked up the teapot again and refilled Qu Ming's teacup, saying casually, "When he gets older and has seen more of the world, he won't say such frivolous and insensitive things anymore."

Qu Ming immediately became suspicious, sizing up the college student who was intently pouring tea for himself.

I was just being sarcastic to that kid earlier. But now, Chen's words seem to be a dig at me too.

Qu Ming couldn't be sure; perhaps the highest level of insult is this kind of ambiguous and vague statement.

In short, this round of "covert struggle" ended in a draw, with neither side gaining an advantage, and the negotiation process began next.

"Why does Mr. Chen think that a 35% stake in the intermediary company is worth 400 million?"

Qu Ming became more honest this time and asked for advice rather sincerely.

"I'm not calculating the current value, but the future value."

Chen Zhe explained earnestly, "Anju Real Estate will inevitably go public in the future, and its market value will not be less than 10 billion. During this process, Wan Da will not need to do much. Now, we only need to use 400 million to exchange for 35% of the shares of a company that will become a company worth 10 billion in the future. Isn't that a good deal?"

"Mr. Chen."

Qu Ming immediately waved his hand and retorted: "You have three logical fallacies here. First, Anju Real Estate Agency may not be able to go public. Second, it may not be able to have a valuation of 10 billion. Third, even if you are right about all of these, why can't we at Wanda do it ourselves?"

"Xiao Wang should have mastered your procedures by now."

At this moment, Qu Ming dragged Wang Youqing into it again: "When the time comes, we, Wanda, will start from scratch. With our real estate resources across the country, believe me or not, we can replace you immediately."

Wang Youqing stared silently at the food table in front of him, offering no response.

Chen glanced at Lao Wang out of the corner of his eye, knowing in his heart that Qu Ming hadn't exaggerated too much, but he couldn't admit defeat at all.

"If Chairman Qu thought things were that simple, he probably would have started doing it already."

Chen confidently retorted, "Why do you need to consult me?"

Qu Ming's eyes narrowed.

One of the trump cards for retrospection is its reputation, which represents the level of trust among ordinary people.

Opening a brokerage company is easy; you just need to register with the business administration department. But anyone can do it; there are absolutely no barriers to entry.

Therefore, one must leverage their reputation to gain a decisive advantage among the countless real estate agencies.

Both sides are intelligent and have a clear understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, but they are both quite assertive in their attitudes.

After a brief silence, Qu Ming began to probe: "Four hundred million is definitely too much. What is President Chen's bottom line?"

Chen smiled and said, "I bet when Chairman Qu came out, the board of directors must have given a figure of more than 400 million. How could I possibly know?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Qu Ming suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

The board of directors did indeed have an approximate amount, and it far exceeded 400 million. Chen was absolutely right!
However, that was based on an agreement on the shareholding. Now that Chen insists on 50%, there's no need to bring up that figure anymore.

Thus, the second round ended in a draw, and negotiations between the two sides have reached a stalemate.

"Mr. Chen."

So Qu Ming stopped talking about work, because it was pointless. Instead, he said with some emotion, "You're much more capable than I imagined. At your age, I wouldn't even dare to give a presentation in a university class."

Faced with the praise, Chen immediately suppressed the aggression in his eyes, picked up his teacup, and said gently and humbly, "I hope that when I reach Chairman Qu's age, I can achieve the same level of success as you."

"Bah~"

Qu Ming touched Chen Zhe's hand and said without hesitation, "You are definitely far superior to me."

This seems to be what high-level business negotiations look like: even if no consensus is reached, they can still end harmoniously.

Old Wang is the most miserable one, as if he is the most hurt person in the world.

They chatted for a few more minutes and were about to leave when, as they were going downstairs, Qu Ming suddenly asked, "Chen Zhe, do you have a girlfriend?"

"what?"

Chen's mind raced again, and after a brief moment of thought, he said, "Yes, we can listen to Chairman Qu's life experiences together sometime."

"I have no experience whatsoever."

Qu Ming smiled and shook his head: "What I want to say is, if you don't have a girlfriend, come to the White Horse Club tonight and have some fun. Just charge it to our company account."

What kind of club is suitable for single guys without girlfriends to hang out at?

"Don't go, don't go."

Chen declined shyly, saying, "Chairman Qu may not know me. I blush when I talk to other girls."

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(End of this chapter)