Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 177 A Visit (Seeking monthly votes, recommendations, and subscriptions!)
"As for the monthly salary of the technical consultant, we can refer to the salary level of senior technical staff in Hong Kong Island. The initial intention is an annual salary of HK$30,000."

When Wang Jianquan saw the buyout price offered by Chen Bingwen, his eyes visibly lit up, and his breathing quickened.

The figure of HK$100 million far exceeded his expectations.

But when he heard the technical consultant's monthly salary, he frowned slightly, as if he felt that the monthly salary was a bit low compared to the buyout amount.

Wang Jianyi was more concerned about another question: "Mr. Chen, if we choose to cooperate and invest, how many shares can we get?"
Who calls the shots in the new company?

“The shareholding ratio also needs to be evaluated,” Chen Bingwen frankly stated. “But the principle is that Chen Ji will hold a controlling stake to ensure the efficiency of business decision-making.”

As the inheritors of the technology and brand, the two are expected to hold a significant minority stake, such as between 20% and 30%.

The new company will have a board of directors, and major decisions will require board approval. Daily operations will be handled by a professional management team, but technical standards and quality control will require your approval.

"Only twenty or thirty?"

Wang Jianquan blurted out, clearly dissatisfied, "This is our family's secret recipe and brand, and it only occupies this small portion?"

“Mr. Wang,” Chen Bingwen corrected him seriously, “with the establishment of the new company, Chen’s needs to invest real money.”

They built new factories that met the standards, bought expensive production equipment, formed a sales team, and invested heavily in advertising to expand the market.

These investments are enormous, and the initial risks are mainly borne by Chen Ji.

When valuing a brand and formula as equity, the equity stake needs to take into account these actual investments and risk factors.

Of course, the final percentage can be determined through negotiation after evaluation by a professional accounting firm.

He paused, then added, "Moreover, the value of the shares increases as the company grows."

If you choose to buy out the shares, you will receive a lump sum of money.

If you choose to invest, the percentage may not be as immediately apparent as the money from a buyout, but once the company grows, the annual dividends and the appreciation of the shares themselves could far exceed the buyout price.

This is a choice between short-term gains and long-term benefits.

After hearing Chen Bingwen's explanation, Wang Jianquan fell silent.

Wang Jianyi, standing to the side, was more concerned about control: "We don't understand the daily operations, but the recipe and taste absolutely cannot be changed."

This must be written into the contract.

“That’s natural.” Chen Bingwen nodded affirmatively. “The right to veto technical terms can be written into the company’s articles of association as a special right.”

This is also the best guarantee for brand inheritance.

Chen Bingwen's primary goal now is to obtain Wanglaoji's secret recipe and trademark; other details can take a backseat to this objective.

Ling Peiyi interjected at the opportune moment, handing the draft of the cooperation framework letter of intent to the Wang siblings: "Mr. Wang, Ms. Wang, this is the framework of our preliminary cooperation terms, which includes some principled agreements."

You can take it back and study it carefully, or ask a trusted friend to take a look.

Wang Jianquan took the document and eagerly began to read it.

Wang Jianyi also leaned over to carefully examine the terms and conditions.

Knowing that they needed some time to discuss things alone, Chen Bingwen stood up and said, "You two can take your time and look at it. There's no rush to make a decision."

We have some things to attend to, so we'll take our leave now.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Director Ling.

Looking forward to your reply.

Leaving the herbal tea shop, Ling Peiyi asked softly, "Mr. Chen, which one do you think they would choose?"

“Wang Jianquan prefers a buyout and cash payment. Wang Jianyi values ​​the long term and control more.”

Chen Bingwen analyzed, "The final outcome depends on which of the siblings can persuade the other, or whether we can come up with a middle ground that they can both accept."

But that's alright, as long as they're willing to talk, the direction is right.

Chen Bingwen and Ling Peiyi were standing on the street, discussing some details of the cooperation plan with Wanglaoji.

Suddenly, I was interrupted by a fight and a string of curses coming from the alley next to Watson's.

The two looked in the direction of the sound.

Just a dozen meters away at the alley entrance, five or six young men dressed in floral shirts and looking rather sleazy were chasing and beating three young men.

They were more like three teenagers than three young people.

The oldest one looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, as thin as a bamboo pole. The other two were even younger, at most thirteen or fourteen, with childish faces.

The three young men were beaten badly and curled up on the ground, covering their heads, but they gritted their teeth and didn't utter a sound or beg for mercy.

The older one, even when knocked to the ground, still glared fiercely at his abuser with the eyes of a wolf cub.

This defiant look only enraged the young men who were hitting him, and they became even more violent.

"You little punk! You dare glare at me? I'll beat you to death!"

"Damn, those bones are pretty hard!"

Pedestrians around them quickly moved away, not daring to approach.

Seeing that the fight was about to escalate into an accident, Chen Bingwen frowned and turned to Zhao Gang, who was standing to his side and behind him, saying, "Zhao Gang, go and stop them, don't let anything happen."

Zhao Gang grunted in agreement and strode over.

He didn't say anything, he just stood there like an iron tower next to the group of people, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

His cold gaze swept over the perpetrators, and he said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, that's enough."

When the group of young men who had been beating someone saw Zhao Gang, and then looked behind them, they saw that Chen Bingwen and Ling Peiyi were dressed smartly and had an extraordinary air about them; they were clearly not ordinary people.

The blond-haired youth who was in the lead felt a chill run down his spine. He pointed at the three teenagers on the ground and cursed them, his voice trembling with fear: "You bastards! You're lucky this time!"

If I run into you again, I'll break your legs!
let's go! "

After saying that, he waved his hand dismissively and quickly left with his companions.

The three boys lay sprawled on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, their clothes torn, looking utterly miserable.

The biggest one struggled to get up and say thank you, but was in so much pain that it gasped for breath.

Chen Bingwen took a few steps closer and felt a pang of pity upon seeing their miserable state.

He gestured to Zhao Gang: "Give them some money to see a doctor." Zhao Gang took out three HK$100 bills from his bag and stuffed them into the hand of the slightly older boy.

The boy was stunned. He looked at the three hundred yuan in his hand, then at Chen Bingwen, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something.

"Go and apply some medicine quickly!" Chen Bingwen waved his hand, and before they could thank him, he and Ling Peiyi turned and walked towards the car parked on the side.

Zhao Gang glanced at the three teenagers and quickly followed.

On the bus, Chen Bingwen watched the three teenagers slowly walk away, supporting each other, and was slightly lost in thought.

Street fights like this were commonplace on Hong Kong Island at the time, but the appearance of those three teenagers still made him feel a little uncomfortable.

However, this feeling was quickly overshadowed by work.

Back in his office, Chen Bingwen put the little incident behind him and returned his thoughts to the Wanglaoji issue.

Based on Ling Peiyi's feedback and his analysis of Wang Jianyi's personality and the internal conflicts within the Wang family, the success rate of acquiring the secret formula and trademark rights of Wanglaoji, whether through a buyout or a joint venture, is very high.

The overall situation is settled; now we need to consider productization.

"Wanglaoji is a herbal tea, a functional beverage."

Chen Bingwen pondered to himself, "People buy herbal tea either by going to a herbal tea shop to drink a bowl, or by buying bottled tea for convenience."

Portability and affordability are key.

He recalled the packaging most commonly used by Wanglaoji and its competitors in his previous life: the rectangular Tetra Pak bricks.

This type of packaging is low-cost, has good sealing properties, a long shelf life, and is easy to transport and carry, making it very suitable as packaging for mass-market beverages.

As for canning, the cost is much higher, which is not cost-effective in the early stages of brand establishment and promotion, and will increase the purchase threshold for consumers.

"Start with Tetra Pak cartons to capture the mass market."

Once the brand is established, we'll consider launching canned versions to enhance its image.

Chen Bingwen made a decision quickly.

He pressed the intercom button and asked his secretary to call Ling Peiyi over.

A few minutes later, Ling Peiyi knocked on the door and came in: "Mr. Chen, you wanted to see me?"

"Hmm," Chen Bingwen instructed directly, "Regarding the current progress of the Wanglaoji project, no matter which method is used, obtaining the Wanglaoji secret formula and trademark should not be a problem."

Therefore, some preparatory work needs to be done in advance.

The main raw materials can be purchased from the mainland through China Resources Company, but what kind of packaging to use is something we need to consider at the moment.

You should first inquire with Tetra Pak in Sweden about their latest Tetra Pak brick packaging machines and material prices.

Another one is the German company, Combibloc; you can look into that too.

Send me the quote and proposal as soon as possible.

"Understood, I'll contact them right away." Ling Peiyi quickly jotted down the key points and turned to go out and carry them out.

In the evening, Chen Bingwen tidied up the documents on his desk and was about to leave work and go home.

The phone on my desk suddenly rang urgently.

Chen Bingwen stopped what he was doing, picked up the phone, and asked, "Hello, who is this?"

A panicked voice came from the other end of the phone; it was Cheng Long, "Mr. Chen... Mr. Chen! Help! Mr. Chen!"

Chen Bingwen frowned, straightened up, and comforted him, "Ah Long? Slow down, what happened?"

"Luo Wei! He sent people to follow me, and now they're blocking my door! Several thugs, armed with weapons!"

They banged on the door, saying that if I didn't pay 1000 million in breach of contract fees, they would bleed me dry!

"Mr. Chen! There are so many of them!"

Cheng Long's voice trembled with fear, and he was somewhat incoherent.

Upon hearing Cheng Long's account, Chen Bingwen's heart sank.

He knew about the contract dispute between Lo Wei and Cheng Long, and he expected that Lo Wei would not easily let go of this cash cow, but he did not expect that the other party would dare to use such extreme means and directly threaten him at his door.

A HK$1000 million penalty for breach of contract is clearly an attempt to drive Jackie Chan to his doom.

"Are you safe now? Is the door locked?" Chen Bingwen asked calmly, while gesturing to Zhao Gang, who was waiting outside the office door.

Zhao Gang had been keeping an eye on Chen Bingwen's movements, and upon seeing the gesture, he immediately came in.

"The lock is locked, but I'm afraid they'll break in! Chen Sheng, come save me!"

Cheng Long was practically begging.

"Don't panic, stay inside and lock the door. Tell me the address, and I'll bring people over right away."

Chen Bingwen's voice was calm as he comforted Cheng Long.

Cheng Long quickly gave the address of his apartment.

"Stay where you are, keep your phone accessible, but don't open the door for anyone."

We'll be there soon.

Chen Bingwen repeated himself and then hung up the phone.

He looked at Zhao Gang and said with a serious expression, "Ah Long is in trouble. Luo Wei sent gang members to corner him at home."

Gather your men immediately and bring your equipment.

Depart within five minutes.

"understand!"

Zhao Gang nodded without saying anything more and turned to walk out.

Chen Bingwen quickly grabbed his coat and put it on.

Luo Wei's underhanded tactics crossed his bottom line.

Cheng Long is now an important partner and brand ambassador for him, and a key part of his future product strategy. He absolutely cannot let Luo Wei be ruined like this.

(End of this chapter)