Chapter 151: The Encroachment Plan, 50x to Surpass 1 Billion in Revenue?

Fractions and factions within corporate entities are hardly uncommon. Even under the most autocratic management styles, higher-ups inevitably engage in forming cliques and vying for power. Human hearts are unfathomable, and appearances can be deeply deceptive; encountering malicious individuals should come as no surprise. Zhang Long, the director whose head was clouded by a string of negative returns, was not well-acquainted with Shengxin, but he would soon find out.

...

"The Ling family? The Qian family?"

When Ling Zhiqian and Qian Caiying finally stepped into the private dining room, the mysterious new partners Old Zhu had been secretly recruiting finally surfaced, though this revelation caused a few furrowed brows.

Hongze was, after all, a peer in the same industry, and everyone present had heard of Ling Zhiqian and Qian Caiying; they were not entirely unfamiliar names. In particular, Qian Caiying had previously caused a scene at Shengxin over investment losses, leaving behind an impression of arrogance and abrasiveness.

"We crossed paths and became friends through our disputes."

Knowing how to handle herself with absolute composure, Qian Caiying dispensed with pleasantries. She immediately poured a cup of fiery baijiu and raised it. "When I opened my account through Shengxin's agency, I hadn't yet joined Hongze. Later, when I suffered losses, Zhang Long helped me recoup them. After that, Zhang Long resigned, and the losses mounted steadily. I lost my temper, and for that, I apologize."

"I'll finish this cup."

As a gesture of apology, Qian Caiying downed the liquor in a single gulp.

"The past is behind us..."

Just as Qian Caiying finished her toast, Old Zhu spoke up at the opportune moment. "From now on, we are partners. With the inclusion of the two young ladies and Zhang Long, I am confident that Shengxin's future development will be even smoother as we scale new heights."

None of the directors present doubted Zhang Long's capabilities; after all, his performance in the investment department during September and October of the previous year had been peerless and undisputed.

Directors like Director Guan and Director You had listened to the recordings of Zhang Long handling clients until they were worn out, yet they still failed to master his genuine techniques.

That Zhang Long was formidable was an absolute certainty.

However, what about the backing of the Ling and Qian families?

"There's no need to worry..."

Ling Zhiqian swept her gaze across the room and spoke in a calm, measured tone, "Caiying and I have no intention of harming Shengxin. You all likely know the reasons why we withdrew from Hongze."

"If there is trust, we negotiate. If there is no trust, we will seek other partners, and we shall simply take our leave."

"Naturally, Zhang Long leaves with us."

As soon as these words were uttered, all eyes snapped toward Zhang Long. He merely smiled and shrugged. "Without President Ling and President Qian coming aboard, I'd bolt for sure."

"Shengxin is a mess, and it will remain one even after Director You and the others leave, and I detest complications."

"I'm here simply to make money happily, nothing more."

...

Qian Caiying, Ling Zhiqian, Zhang Long, and Old Zhu, along with five others, constituted everyone present in the private room. The executive vice president was absent; the gathering consisted entirely of senior directors.

Although Shengxin was not a publicly listed company, the internal dynamics among its upper management were intricate, characterized by varying degrees of authority. Furthermore, they still maintained struggling branch offices in Kyoto and Hangzhou, which also had their own respective directors.

A director, however, was not necessarily a shareholder.

Much like Shengxin's executive vice president, who merely represented the company's largest shareholder, this tripartite preliminary meeting was hardly the appropriate venue to summon the executive vice president.

Once the nine individuals in the private room reached a consensus, the next step would be negotiating with the major shareholders regarding the extent of relinquished control.

After all, neither Zhang Long nor Ling Zhiqian and Qian Caiying were here to serve as mere employees. If they failed to secure an appropriate proportion of equity and shares, joining this venture would be entirely pointless.

"Good grief, 45%?"

Upon hearing the figure uttered by Ling Zhiqian, aside from Director Zhu, the other five Shengxin directors all gasped audibly. The departure of Director You, Director Guan, and their faction had only freed up 25% of the equity, yet she was asking for 40% right off the bat—wasn't that outrageously greedy?

Did that mean they were expected to cough up even more of their own shares?

"Is that excessive?"

Qian Caiying remained noncommittal. "The three of us—Zhiqian, Zhang Long, and myself—are only asking for 40% in total, and it's not as though we aren't paying for it!"

"Those who lack confidence in Shengxin's future development can simply take their money and walk away, just like Old You. Neither we nor Old Zhu will coerce anyone. If we can reach an agreement, we continue; if not, the deal is off, and the worst that happens is we wait for the new licenses to be issued."

Once new licenses were issued, competition would only become fiercer.

The Shengxin directors knew this all too well. The bear market was already this brutal, and waiting for new licenses to be issued was a fool's errand.

Setting aside the connections and capabilities of Ling Zhiqian and Qian Caiying—even if they managed to secure a new license, establishing venues, hiring staff, and building distribution channels from scratch would require starting entirely over.

Although Shengxin's current scale was diminished, its framework remained intact, and its foundation was still there.

That allowed them to bypass the initial, grinding startup phase entirely.

In short, if Ling Zhiqian, Qian Caiying, and their group chose not to interfere heavily in day-to-day management, it would essentially mean Directors You, Guan, and their associates stepping down while these new partners stepped up, allowing the rest of Shengxin's operations to function as usual while they weathered the bear market.

The moment the bull market arrived, they would immediately soar.

...

At present, Director You and the others had stalemated at a valuation of 130 million for Shengxin, refusing to lower it any further. This meeting was convened precisely to persuade Qian Caiying, Ling Zhiqian, and Zhang Long to raise their offer slightly, pushing the valuation from 120 million to 130 million. Otherwise, dragging the stalemate out would only worsen the situation, as they were at the end of their tether.

When a company's upper management experienced such intense turbulence, how could the rank-and-file employees maintain any motivation? Everyone was simply waiting for the outcome.

The bear market was already punishing enough; with the company atmosphere toxic and demoralized, the staff simply chose to lie flat, slack off, and coast along.

Right now, the headquarters was even less stable than the branch offices.

"The valuation remains at 120 million."

"The 40% stake remains unchanged."

Zhang Long finally spoke, his voice deep and steady. "Without a sufficient share, I will not come aboard. To put it bluntly, whether Shengxin can turn its performance around in the future relies heavily on me as a primary driving factor."

"As for why Hongze's performance surged previously, those who need to understand already do. Are we going to let Shengxin languish in a half-dead state waiting for some illusory bull market?"

"Or are you willing to temporarily part with small portions of your shares, distributing them to me, President Qian, and President Ling, and take a gamble?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, you won't be losing out."

Indeed, they wouldn't lose out. Although they would be parting with a portion of their shares, those stakes would be purchased by Zhang Long, Qian Caiying, and Ling Zhiqian with hard, genuine cash.

At a valuation of 120 million, every 1% of equity was worth 1.2 million, paid directly into their hands in cold, hard cash.

Of course, the founding faction of major shareholders at Shengxin would also have to relinquish some of their holdings to maintain a balanced proportion.

Even so, a valuation of 120 million was manageable.

It was just that a 40% stake was simply too much—far too much.

It would mean that Shengxin would essentially belong to Zhang Long, Qian Caiying, and Ling Zhiqian, especially since these three acted as if they shared the same pair of trousers and slept under the same covers.

It was hard to imagine there wasn't something more going on when two young heiresses like Ling Zhiqian and Qian Caiying were backing Zhang Long with such fervor.

These thoughts inevitably flashed through everyone's minds.

"30%!"

Suddenly, someone spoke up.

At the sound of this voice, Zhang Long's gaze hardened instantly. The man sitting across from him—the very person whose head was crowned with a string of negative returns—spoke in a firm, resolute tone. "If we can talk, we talk; if not, the deal is off. Shengxin isn't going to collapse just because a few people walk away, and we certainly won't tolerate daylight robbery just to avoid closing down."

Who the hell was this guy? He certainly had a fiery temper.

...

"Old Xu, don't let anger dictate your words."

Zhu Fengchun chimed in at the appropriate moment, acting as the lubricant between the two factions. He chuckled and said, "Bargaining is perfectly normal in business. Let's not speak out of frustration."

"If we're going to threaten to walk away at the drop of a hat, how are we supposed to work together in the future?"

"We'd end up arguing every single day."

Zhang Long remained noncommittal. At the negotiating table, one had to project absolute strength; even if the deal fell through, one had to stand firm. Evidently, the other party knew this rule well, and neither side was willing to back down.

A 30% equity stake was genuinely not enough.

Naturally, Zhang Long also knew that 40% was unrealistic. Shengxin had not yet reached the point of utter desperation where they refused to shed tears until seeing their own coffin. If they were truly stubborn enough to hold out until the bull market arrived, no matter how much was invested, they would eventually recoup their losses and reap massive profits. With China stepping into the era of mobile smart internet, could a bull market really be far away?

Whenever an economy undergoes a transition to a new tier, a bull market might be delayed, but it would never be absent.

Zhang Long knew that as long as Shengxin could hold out until the bull market commenced around the summer of the following year, its value would skyrocket multifold within a year, reaching at least 1 billion or more. And that was a conservative estimate; once a bull market went truly wild, enterprises and massive crowds of retail investors nationwide would go utterly, wildly frenzied.

Therefore, Zhang Long had his own plan. Since he currently lacked the capital and clout to secure a new license—even if the state issued them, he couldn't snatch one, and neither could Ling Zhiqian or Qian Caiying—he had to make a move.

Every existing securities firm was, truth be told, a messy enterprise. There were plenty of firms in even worse shape than Shengxin.

For instance, "Jiahao, Boyuan, and Sankai" were three local firms in Shanghai that refused to sell even after shutting down their operations.

They would rather wait out the storm until the bull market returned to reopen.

Joining any existing financial securities firm would yield the exact same predicament; none would offer a better situation than Shengxin unless one completely abandoned the financial sector to open an entertainment company or run an investment firm like Zhang Shangyu did, picking and choosing investments casually.

Zhang Long had no intention of doing that. His strategy was to secure a foothold in Shengxin first. Once he became an indispensable component of Shengxin's operational performance, he would naturally be able to increase his stake later on.

If they refused to give it to him? Apologies, but he wouldn't play.

...

Valued at 120 million, with a 35% equity stake!

As the preliminary meeting concluded, Shengxin's Director Xu and the other directors departed with lingering grievances and deep sighs. This figure represented the bottom line for Zhang Long and his trio; if the others refused to accept it, they could simply bid each other farewell.

Not bad; it was barely acceptable.

Zhang Long would invest 24 million for a 20% stake, while Qian Caiying and Ling Zhiqian would jointly contribute 18 million for a 15% stake, concluding the arrangement.

"Who exactly is that Director Xu?"

After everyone else had cleared out, only four people remained in the private room—Qian Caiying, Ling Zhiqian, Old Zhu, and Zhang Long. Zhang Long immediately brought up the subject of the man who had played the role of the antagonist.

"He's the representative of the neutral faction."

Old Zhu clearly shared a strong rapport with Director Xu. He chuckled softly and explained, "Old Xu exerted a tremendous amount of effort behind the scenes to push Director You and his faction out. However, he represents Shengxin's neutral faction—he only cares about injecting capital and collecting returns, and nothing else."

"Unless Shengxin encounters severe turbulence, like this sudden internal split that forced him to step in."

"His character is reliable. You can rest assured about that."

Hearing this, Zhang Long inwardly curled his lips. Director Xu's facial features radiated orthodox righteousness, making it impossible to read anything from his expression, but why on earth did a string of negative returns float above his head?

Unfortunately, his golden finger lacked comprehensive diagnostic prompts. Previously, when dealing with Yang Qingshuang, he had only seen a string of negative figures as well.

It was only later, through Zhang Shangyu's explanation, that he understood it indicated unreliability in their first film project.

"However, there is one thing you need to watch out for."

Suddenly, Old Zhu's expression grew solemn as his gaze swept across Zhang Long, Qian Caiying, and Ling Zhiqian. "Old Xu is extremely stubborn; he's as unyielding as a mule. Just like a moment ago, he was genuinely angry."

"Although he didn't say much at the end, I can guarantee you one thing: if we still fail to reach an agreement by next week?"

"He will go out and find other partners."

Zhang Long paused, finally beginning to understand the origin of the negative returns hovering above Director Zhu's head.

If they failed to enter Shengxin, there would be no subsequent operational profits, which was effectively equivalent to losing money. No wonder that string of negative return digits was terrifyingly long, stretching past 1 billion. Good grief, that was somewhat frightening.

If those 24 million intended for a 20% equity stake couldn't be invested into Shengxin, what they would miss out on was a subsequent wave of returns exceeding 1 billion?

Ten billion a year, or a cumulative total?

Zhang Long's eyes flashed. It certainly wasn't the future cumulative total; it was likely just the profit generated before the bull market fully erupted.

That meant within a mere year and a half, a 50-fold return amounting to 1 billion!