I'll wait for you amidst the romance of nature.

A few moments after Tie Nan and I finished our discussion, Bai Lu and Zhao Jing returned to the inn after having breakfast. Zhao Jing asked Tie Nan and me, "How did your discussion go?"

After I gave him an affirming look, Tie Nan replied, "I just discussed it with my buddy, and we're interested in running your inn together. To be honest, I've been running an inn for several years now, so we have plenty of experience. If you leave it to us, we won't ruin it. As for the transfer price... we're hoping for 80. If you agree, I can guarantee to raise the money for you in one lump sum within three days."

Zhao Jing's face turned ugly, and then she exploded. She said to Bai Lu, "Lulu, I trust you, so when we met for the first time last night, I gave them my lowest transfer price. But aren't your two friends going too far? They actually asked for 800,000 yuan! What do they take my inn for? Do they really think I can't sell it?... I'm not talking nonsense. The day before yesterday, a Hong Kong boss came to me and offered 1 million yuan to take over the inn. I can transfer it, but he wants to turn it into a chain hotel, so I didn't agree... My husband and I are facing some difficulties temporarily, but we won't ruin the soul of the inn for an extra 100,000 yuan... Now you're asking me for 800,000 yuan? Isn't that an insult to all the hard work we've put into this inn over the years?"

Bai Lu advised, "Don't be angry. They probably don't understand the inn market around Longkan Wharf. You're both my friends; one side is interested in transferring, and the other is interested in taking over. It's almost done, so there's really no need to make things unpleasant over this 100,000 yuan transfer fee." Then she turned to us and said, "You guys are really something. You immediately ripped off Zhao Jing by another 100,000 yuan. It's not like she's really bluffing you; her initial asking price wasn't high... Besides, I talked to her at dinner, and she agreed to give you another 10,000 or 20,000 yuan off. That proves she's genuinely interested in transferring the inn, so don't go too far!"

Before Tie Nan could speak, Zhao Jing, still furious, said, "I'm not willing to budge an inch now. It's 90, take it or leave it."

Zhao Jing is indeed a woman with a strong personality. Since she's put things this way, I reckon there's no room for negotiation on the price. At this moment, Tie Nan also showed signs that the deal was about to fall through. He's a very determined man; his target price is 800,000, and he won't budge any further.

Just when the situation seemed hopeless, I finally spoke to Zhao Jing, saying, "I can see that you have a deep affection for this inn, which is why you're so stubbornly sticking to your price target. It's not entirely about the money; it's just that you want the inn's true value to be recognized by both the new and old owners… But we really can't come up with 900,000 right now. We're not exactly wealthy; 100,000 yuan is a huge amount for us. So I hope you can understand our thinking… If we really underestimated the inn's value, we wouldn't have offered 800,000 yuan. For us, that 800,000 yuan is practically our entire fortune. If it weren't for genuine love, who would dare to take such a risk?!"

Zhao Jing's expression finally softened a bit, and she replied, "Even if this is a misunderstanding, I won't budge an inch from the price of 900,000."

"Don't be so sure... I do have a solution that can be a win-win situation for all parties, and I hope you can give me a chance to express it."

"Tell me about it."

I quickly organized my thoughts and replied, "We'll still take over the inn for 800,000, but we'll retain a 10% stake for you… I don't think you really care about that 100,000 yuan. Once the inn is open, you can continue to participate in management and profit sharing as a shareholder. We can also use the saved 100,000 yuan to upgrade the inn's bedding. I noticed earlier that the bedding is indeed a bit old. See, isn't this plan beneficial for both of us? I especially hope you can continue to participate in management, because no one understands the inn's operations better than you, and you won't feel regretful or sad like you've lost a friend."

After I finished speaking, Tie Nan whispered to me, "Dude, you're awesome! How come I didn't think of doing that!"

I smiled, then turned my gaze back to Zhao Jing, but I was already confident that she would accept the proposal. I could tell that her husband had lost a considerable amount of money in his business. Whether or not she had the 100,000 yuan wouldn't significantly impact his ability to pay off his debts, so why not use it to preserve some hope for the future? As for negotiations, as long as you carefully understand and meet the other party's needs, you'll generally succeed. However, not everyone has such insight, because human nature is fickle and unpredictable. But I believed that Zhao Jing's demands in this matter were very firm.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Zhao Jing said to me, "I like this plan, and I'm willing to add another 100,000 to reduce the transfer fee to 700,000. Then you can reserve 20% of the shares for me. If you think that's okay, we can sign a letter of intent now, and I'll give you three days to raise the money."

Tie Nan and I exchanged a glance, and immediately agreed to Zhao Jing's request.

……

Back at our lodging, "Fengrenyuan," Tie Nan and I discussed raising money. We forced Coach Ma to wake up from his sleep, then pulled him into the group and expressed our hope that he would persuade Bai Lu to invest.

Coach Ma immediately poured cold water on Tie Nan's enthusiasm, asking, "Where do you get the confidence to transfer ownership of your inn within three days? Aren't you just setting a trap for Michael and Bai Lu?"

"Don't worry about me. I guarantee I'll raise 20 yuan within three days. As long as you're willing to convince Bailu to join in, then this deal is done."

Coach Ma seemed to have some trust in Tie Nan, and after a brief consideration, he made the promise. As for me, opening the inn went relatively smoothly, but this smoothness inexplicably made me uneasy. Because I still didn't quite believe that good luck would suddenly come my way after moving to a new city.

Of course, I hope I'm overthinking it, because on the surface, it does seem like a profitable business. After all, Tie Nan is quite experienced in the inn industry, so I don't think he's likely to make a mistake. Plus, with Bai Lu joining us, she'll help us smooth things over with the higher-ups, which is a great boost to our confidence.

……

After resolving the inn investment issue, I called Yang Sisi again in the evening. Before that, I had already contacted Lao Huang. We agreed to meet at the No. 1 Courtyard Hotel in the ancient city at eight o'clock.

Even though it was the second time, and the same person was talking about the same thing, I was still a little uneasy. Yang Sisi was a woman with too many unpredictable variables. Who knew what she might do after being provoked, putting me in a difficult position? But because I needed Lao Huang's help, I still had to bite the bullet and take her to the appointment.

Deep down, I hope she will choose to study abroad, but upon further reflection, I feel a little disappointed because I seem to have become accustomed to having her in this unfamiliar city of Dali.