Chapter 148: At Most 120 Million, A Beauty Tonight

Zhang Shangyu, the fifth eldest of the Zhang family.

They hadn't seen each other since their parting at the top-floor duplex in Grandeur Gardens. Meeting again today after half a month, his poise and aura as a wealthy second-generation heir remained extraordinary and impressive.

Though Zhang Long privately believed his own features surpassed Zhang Shangyu's, he had to admit he couldn't match the man's natural flair for attracting women.

...

"Envious, jealous, and bitter?"

Catching Zhang Long's gaze, Zhang Shangyu laughed out loud. "Just mingle in more social circles until you become completely relaxed and nonchalant. Give it a year or eighteen months, and you'll naturally develop that kind of presence."

"Out there in public, apart from having money and frequently footing the bill, I don't really have anything special."

Heh. Zhang Long remained noncommittal.

The nouveau riche vulgarity could perhaps be cultivated within a year or two, but the effortless ease of a lifelong wealthy heir took at least two or three years of constant immersion in high-society circles to forge.

No matter how much money Zhang Long had in his bank account, it only allowed him to remain composed and relatively unruffled in various situations.

That kind of effortless nonchalance still required time to polish.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Friendliness was one thing; meeting up meant both parties were willing to deepen their acquaintance. With a flash in his eyes, Zhang Shangyu spoke, "Qian Caiying and Ling Zhiqing's Hongze has recently been taken over by Ling Yushan. You definitely know about that."

Zhang Long nodded lightly, gesturing for him to continue.

"A grown man like me is surely not as attractive to you as two beauties, am I right?"

Zhang Long remained silent. Was he?

Zhang Shangyu let out a soft breath. Seeing Zhang Long's calm and composed expression, he chuckled lowly. "Actually, I have a closer relationship with Du Hong, so I've heard a thing or two about your exploits, Brother Zhang Long. Impressive."

"No wonder Qian Caiying is so protective of you."

Hearing this, Zhang Long's gaze flickered slightly. "Pure luck, hardly worth mentioning."

"Rest assured, I have no malicious intent."

Zhang Shangyu chuckled and shrugged. "There are far too many second-generation heirs in the Zhang family. I have two older sisters and two older brothers ahead of me, so the better businesses would never fall to my hands anyway. Might as well just be a parasite, living off my brothers, my sisters, and the family."

"My ambition is average. I just let things take their course."

"The only successful investment I've made over the years was buying a few extra properties and flipping them back and forth. Thanks to the continuous rise in housing prices, I've made quite a bit. Not bad at all."

"Of course, inviting you out today is also about a project. I wanted to see if you might be interested."

"Or rather, a pool."

...

Zhang Shangyu was far from being entirely uneducated or incompetent.

As the fifth child of the Zhang family, his two older brothers and two older sisters had carved up the lion's share of the resources. Zhang Shangyu and his two younger sisters were in a similar boat to Qian Caiying.

They weren't handed the helm of any prime businesses; the family provided allowances, and the older siblings tossed them some money as well, essentially telling them to go try their luck.

Making a profit was great; losing it was no big deal either.

In any case, the core industries were strictly managed by the family, the important secondary ventures were run by the older siblings, and the rest were left to whatever whim suited them best—merely a way to pass the time.

Zhang Shangyu was the most unique among them. Aside from sharing Lin Yuan's fondness for chasing women, he was vastly superior to Lin Yuan in every other aspect.

"There is a pool like this..."

Zhang Shangyu's eyes flashed. "This company is responsible for scouting promising investment projects on the market—offline physical businesses or online virtual ones are both fine. I put in a bit, you put in a bit, and he or she puts in a bit as well. We hire professionals to manage it and recruit an experienced, capable, and reliable expert."

"Loss-making projects are considered normal operational attrition, while profitable ones are split according to earnings."

"Dividends are distributed both quarterly and annually."

Zhang Long understood. It was essentially setting up an investment firm. Wealthy heirs possessed connections, channels, and ample capital, allowing them to secure numerous lucrative ventures.

As long as the investment managers they hired weren't completely incompetent, the probability of turning a profit was bound to outweigh losses.

In other words, making money was left to the professionals, while the wealthy heirs simply collected cash and enjoyed various lifestyle luxuries.

"How much is in the pool right now?"

Zhang Long reined in his thoughts and asked. Hearing this, Zhang Shangyu smiled slightly. "About forty million by now. Three other friends and I put in ten million each. If you also put in ten million, the pool will be temporarily filled."

"To start with, it's just the five of us."

"You can assign a professional manager or accountant to the firm if you like. You don't need to worry about day-to-day operations; small-scale investments can be skipped, and we'll only gather to discuss major projects."

"If anyone has a good project in hand, they can bring it up for discussion. Otherwise, everyone simply goes about their own business."

"Well? Interested?"

...

In the evening, Zhang Long, Old Zhu, Qian Caiying, and Ling Zhiqing gathered together. Zhang Long had deferred his answer regarding Zhang Shangyu's investment proposition to give himself a few days to consider it; one couldn't rush into these things.

Ten million wasn't an exorbitant sum to Zhang Long, but he couldn't just throw it in blindly without doing his due diligence.

He needed to gauge the character and temperament of Zhang Shangyu and the other three partners; if any of them proved unreliable, his money would go down the drain.

Returning to the matter at hand for the current gathering.

"What? 150 million?"

Upon hearing this valuation, Zhang Long said nothing and didn't need to, for others would speak up. Qian Caiying curled her lip unceremoniously, "With Shengxin in its current pathetic state, they actually dare to value it at 150 million? 100 million at most."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew."

The higher the valuation, the more Qian Caiying, Zhang Long, and the others would have to spend in disguise to acquire their corresponding shares. Naturally, the lower the price, the better.

Although three auditing firms were conducting the audit for Shengxin, it wasn't impossible to bribe people.

Inflating the price by a notch was standard practice.

"It hasn't been finalized yet..."

Old Zhu took a gentle breath. The audit and evaluation had been underway for several days, and the initial results were expected to come out next week. If both parties disagreed on the price, they would either re-evaluate or negotiate a mutually acceptable outcome.

Director You, Director Guan, and the others wanted to take their money and leave, so naturally, they hoped the valuation would be as high as possible. Conversely, Old Zhu didn't want the price to be too low either, as his own interests would suffer collateral damage.

"Director Zhu, you're mistaken."

Zhang Long suddenly spoke up. "I don't understand the intricacies of valuation processes, but for those of us staying behind, there is zero difference between 150 million and 100 million. Since we aren't leaving and don't need to cash out, a high or low valuation only matters to the ones departing. At this stage, we need to unite and beat down the price for the departing side."

"Once Director You, Director Guan, and the others leave, whatever Shengxin's subsequent development is worth will be a matter for the future."

"I'm young, but I'm not stupid."

Old Zhu was left speechless. What Zhang Long said sounded logical, but would the departing directors like You and Guan agree? They still had to negotiate a valuation everyone could accept.

Otherwise, if they weren't satisfied with the buyout offer, they would just drag things out. Draining the clock for a few weeks or two to three months was entirely normal.

"120 million maximum!"

Ling Zhiqing said coldly. "This figure is by no means low for Shengxin's current valuation. Having managed Hongze's operations, I understand everything there is to know. Apart from its licenses, Shengxin's most valuable assets are its operational framework and foundation. In short..."

"If we can talk terms, we talk. If not, forget it."

...

Old Zhu left, looking reasonably satisfied.

Just as Zhang Long had said, for the people staying behind, a slightly higher or lower valuation didn't matter. What mattered was Shengxin's future development and value, not its present state.

A valuation of 120 million wasn't low at all.

"How is Hongze doing?"

Hearing Zhang Long's inquiry, Ling Zhiqing's gaze darkened and she remained silent, while Qian Caiying curled her lip. "Next week, Zhiqing and I will completely step down and finish handing over all responsibilities to Ling Yushan's people."

"The four teams from the marketing department will stay on for the time being. Later, once we take charge of Shengxin, Liang Shuang's Blizzard team and another team will jump ship."

"Everything has already been coordinated."

"Did you mention Shengxin?"

Qian Caiying shook her head. "Liang Shuang doesn't know she's returning to Shengxin for now. Anyway, she'll follow wherever we go. That girl has a rather indifferent temperament and lacks a strong sense of personal direction."

"And stop deliberately distancing yourself from Liang Shuang just because you have a girlfriend. If there's something you need, just ask her directly."

"Stop treating me as your relay station."

Zhang Long let this comment slide without a reply, shifting the topic to his own concern. "Not long ago, through a coincidence, I met Zhang Shangyu. At noon today, he approached me about investing in a new investment company. Is he reliable?"

"More importantly, is his character reliable?"

"Zhang Shangyu?"

Hearing this, Qian Caiying and Ling Zhiqing exchanged a surprised look. They hadn't seen Zhang Long in days; where on earth had this fellow met Zhang Shangyu? Still, the question wasn't crucial—some things could be shared, others left unsaid.

"His character is alright."

Qian Caiying nodded. "At the very least, this guy treats the people around him very well. Over the years, he's been passionate about chasing women and investing in real estate, living quite a carefree life."

"However, if you're investing in projects, you need to think carefully. Zhang Shangyu might be reliable, but the others might not be."

"This guy has been screwed over by his 'friends' more than once."

Hearing this, Zhang Long paused, secretly making a mental note. Was the man a glutton for punishment who never learned his lesson? Or perhaps he simply didn't care enough to quibble over minor stings.

If the man himself was decent, he would only deal with the man directly.

...

"The view from a high-rise is truly wonderful."

That night, Luo Man was not coming over to the Bund, and she had to busy herself with the travel agency the next day, so Zhang Long went to the large flat in Grandeur Gardens without any reservations.

He had visited a few times over the past week, mostly to drop off daily household necessities.

He had also purchased a top-tier brand computer specifically for investment trading and leverage operations.

Although the upper duplex penthouse was temporarily uninhabitable, the spacious flat on the lower floor was more than enough. The 220-square-meter three-bedroom, three-living-room layout with its massive Bund-view balcony offered a completely different perspective from Liu Yurong's two-bedroom apartment.

"Hah, comfortable!"

The sofa bed in the living room was huge, and one end faced directly toward the balcony for optimal viewing—an absolute luxury.

Furthermore, the flat featured a wine cabinet left behind by Zhu Changhai, stocked with plenty of red wine. Of course, the upper duplex had an even larger wine cabinet—or rather, a proper wine cellar.

Zhu Changhai had left the keys behind, telling him to take whatever wine he fancied. The most expensive bottle was worth over a hundred thousand.

Zhang Long certainly couldn't bear to drink it all by himself; he would wait for an opportunity to share it with Luo Man or Liang Shuang. It couldn't go to waste.

"Buzz, buzzz～"

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Perhaps sharing a telepathic connection, he glanced down to find a message from Liang Shuang. No text, no voice message—just a single image.

A selfie with the Bund scenery in the background.

"Visiting the Bund again?"

Zhang Long's heart stirred. It felt as though he hadn't spent any alone time with Liang Shuang since before the New Year. After the holiday, they hadn't even met once, mutually dodging each other for reasons unknown.

His gaze flickered, and he stood up.

Remembering Qian Caiying's words from earlier that evening about Liang Shuang's indifferent nature and lack of assertiveness, he decided he needed to find out the girl's true thoughts. Lingering in this awkward standoff made everyone miserable.

It seemed he had never quietly and deeply communicated with Liang Shuang before, nor truly understood her.

PS: The ten-thousand-word update has arrived. Monthly votes requested.