Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 541 Freebie
While Zhou Wang was thinking, a glass of soda water with ice was suddenly handed to him.

After finishing a Western meal, this refreshing drink was the perfect way to cut through the greasiness. Zhou Wang politely accepted it and thanked the mixed-race girl who had been sitting to the side.

While Zhou Wang was drinking water, Lisa went around behind him again, and a warm touch came from both sides of his forehead. Lisa seemed to realize that he was thinking about something and took the initiative to relieve his mental stress in a physical way.

Zhou Wang could only sigh in admiration at the series of thoughtful actions.

Even with training, what man can resist such a gentle trap?
The key is that truly successful men are extremely confident. Even if they see through a woman's various tricks, they won't expose them; they'll just enjoy it to the fullest. After all, they don't think they'll actually become prey.

Zhou Wang was the same, so after realizing Lisa's deliberate guidance, he didn't pretend and leaned back.

The fabric was soft and thin, just enough to allow Zhou Wang's head to sink completely in, making it a perfect fit.

It should be around a C-shape, not too exaggerated, but the curvature and texture are perfect.

Zhou Wang's thoughts were unconsciously diverted until Mu Li's voice suddenly rose as she dialed the phone:

“Mr. Li, isn’t this request a bit too much to ask? I’m sorry, I may have gotten a little emotional. I apologize. I didn’t mean it that way. I just wanted to earnestly ask you to consider it. After all, Inspector Chen hasn’t completely retired yet, has he? Okay, I’ll contact you again.”

Zhou Wang glanced at Mu Li with some surprise. After all, although they hadn't known each other for long, Zhou Wang could easily sense that this CEO Mu had a very strong ability to control her emotions.

When she was on the phone just now, she was mostly calm and gentle. This was the first time Zhou Wang had seen her lose control of her emotions.

However, Zhou Wang didn't investigate further, after all, at this moment, he was just an observer.

A few minutes later, Mu Li, having finally finished dealing with all the pile of tasks, walked over to the sofa with her champagne.

Zhou Wang opened his eyes and sat up straight. Lisa, having received a signal from Mu Li, also straightened her clothes slightly before obediently walking out the door, leaving the space to the two of them.

As for Gao Xing, he was still standing in the corner, but Mu Li didn't ask him to leave. Instead, after sitting down, she spoke with a serious expression:

"Mr. Zhou, I know your time is very valuable. After today, I don't know when we will meet again. So I have a straightforward suggestion that I would like to ask you to listen to."

This was the first time Mu Li had used a respectful form of address since meeting Zhou Wang. It was not only a sign of respect, but also an implicit hint to Zhou Wang that what she was about to say was actually something she needed from him…

Zhou Wang remained calm and simply smiled, "President Mu, there's no need to be so polite. Let's address each other normally. Your sudden change of address is putting too much pressure on me."

Mu Li smiled and moved a little closer to Zhou Wang. "If that's how it is, Mr. Zhou, then I really won't hold back?"

"Since President Mu has said that we should 'get straight to the point,' let's be more direct."

Zhou Wang gestured for him to proceed.

"I would like to ask Mr. Zhou to seriously consider the possibility of cross-shareholding with our Tianque Group in exchange for the shares of Wangzhou Group under his name."

Mu Li spoke softly, but she pronounced each word very clearly.

Zhou Wang narrowed his eyes and fell silent for a moment.

Mu Li's short sentence contained a lot of information.

First of all, it is evident that she knows Zhou Wang very well and has been paying close attention to his recent situation. Although Wangzhou Group has been established for some time, it has not made any major moves yet, and its influence has not yet extended beyond Shanghai. Moreover, for the average person, even if they know the name of this non-listed group whose asset information is not publicly available, they would not know much about it.

However, Mu Li immediately proposed that Zhou Wang exchange "shares of Wangzhou Group" for the offer, which shows that she at least knew some of Zhou Wang's background before daring to make such a request.

Let's return to the "Tianque Group" that Mu Li mentioned.

"Tianque" was the original name of the Pengcheng Club that Mu Li ran.

All the industries they later ventured into started from this point, so the so-called "Tianque Group" is most likely the sum of all the industries under Mu Li's name, including high-end clubs in three first-tier cities, as well as other industry assets derived from them.

Its size should not be underestimated.

Zhou Wangshi never expected that Mu Li would make such a request right away.

After a brief moment of thought, Zhou Wang chuckled and said, "Although President Mu spoke with great seriousness, I still feel like he's joking."

"Putting aside whether you know me well enough, my understanding of President Mu and the Tianque Group behind you is very limited, even pitifully so. President Mu is also a very mature businessman, and should know that I find it hard to take such a proposal seriously."

Mu Li, however, seemed to have been prepared. She got up, walked behind her desk, retrieved a still-sealed file bag, and handed it to Zhou Wang.

"Mr. Zhou, everything you want to know about Tianque Group is in here."

Mu Li said softly, "Of course, I can't guarantee 100%, after all, some information is limited by regulations and can only be disclosed to internal shareholders, but I think this is enough for you to make a clear judgment."

Zhou Wang glanced at the document bag and saw that it bore the seal of a well-known international accounting firm. This meant that, to ensure credibility, the documents inside were issued by a third-party organization.

However, Zhou Wang did not rush to open the file bag. Instead, he first weighed its thickness in his hand before saying, "President Mu, I can take a look, but that doesn't represent any of my preferences. Can you accept that?"

Even if such information is heavily veiled, it will still contain some of the secrets of the Tianque Group. Zhou Wang's statement shows that he is prepared to "take responsibility once he's done with it."

Mu Li clearly understood, but showed no sign of anything amiss, simply extending her hand in a "please" gesture.

Zhou Wang then opened the file bag and took out the thick stack of group documents to browse through.

Here, I must thank my senior for providing him with one of the passive skills, "Quantum Reading," which allows Zhou Wang to retain a deep memory of what he has read even when he reads ten lines at a glance, and to not delay his thinking in the process.

Of course, Zhou Wang's speed of flipping through the pages was exaggerated in Mu Li's eyes, so Mu Li couldn't tell for a moment whether Zhou Wang was just casually looking at the pages and just pretending to fool her.

But seeing Zhou Wang's serious expression, it seemed like he wasn't acting, so Mu Li was somewhat confused.

Just five minutes later, Zhou Wang closed the stack of documents, a hint of surprise still lingering in his expression. He subconsciously asked, "The estimated market value of all the businesses combined is 73.2 billion?"

The market value information was on a page near the middle of the document. When Zhou Wang asked this question, Mu Li knew that Zhou Wang had indeed carefully reviewed all the documents. She immediately sat up a little straighter and nodded.

"Yes."

"They also invested in a promising startup that just went public last year? I think the name is Xirang Times, they make power batteries, and they also control a new battery technology called NCMG?"

"Yes, in its latest round of fundraising, this company raised a total of..." "181.34 billion yuan."

Zhou Wang proactively filled in the number she hadn't mentioned, accurate to two decimal places.

When the conversation reached this point, Mu Li was somewhat alarmed because the information on this part was compiled entirely in English due to time constraints. How could Zhou Wang have read all of this so thoroughly in such a short time?

If Mu Li hadn't been certain that no one else had seen this information, she would have suspected that it had been leaked beforehand, or that Zhou Wang had already investigated everything about Tianque Group through corporate espionage and was now playing her for a fool...

After the brief conversation, Zhou Wang closed his eyes and remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

The luxuriously decorated VIP lounge fell silent for a moment. After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Wang finally spoke in a low voice:

"So, according to Mr. Mu's expectations, how many shares will you be exchanging with me?"

"As for Tianque Group, we can offer at least 15% of the shares. If President Zhou needs it, this number can be discussed further... In addition, as the largest shareholder and legal representative of Tianque Group, if I transfer 15% of the shares to President Zhou, I will still be the largest shareholder, but my shareholding will decrease to 23%."

Mu Li's words made Zhou Wang raise an eyebrow in surprise.

In other words, if the deal goes through, Zhou Wang, who holds a 15% stake in Tianque Group, will be very close to becoming the second-largest shareholder, if not the second-largest.

At this point, Mu Li continued, "As for you... my minimum expectation is that you, President Zhou, could consider exchanging 5% of your shares with Tianque Group."

After Mu Li finished speaking, she took out an agreement from under the table and pushed it in front of Zhou Wang. "I have already prepared the draft agreement. As long as President Zhou is willing, it can be changed into the official text at any time, and it will take effect after President Zhou signs it."

Zhou Wang glanced at it; it was the most standard and simplest equity swap agreement, without any additional clauses.

At this point, Zhou Wang could no longer hide his surprise.

If all his assets were added together, they would certainly not be inferior to Tianque Group. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that his shares in Douyin alone could buy half of Tianque Group.

The problem is that Wangzhou Group had only been established for a short time. Although it was not an empty shell, most of Zhouwang's assets had not yet been transferred in, including Douyin's equity.

If Wangzhou Group at this time had any valuable assets, it would be Wangzhou Pharmaceutical, which held the "Little Blue Bottle." However, Wangzhou only held a portion of the shares, and the "Little Blue Bottle" had not yet been officially launched, so its final performance remained an unknown.

Moreover, if Zhou Wang wanted to, he could easily spin off Wangzhou Pharmaceuticals, turning the Wangzhou Group into a mere shell.

But Mu Li didn't make any demands. Of course, she couldn't be that stupid. It could only mean that she had already prepared herself mentally. Even if Zhou Wang wanted to "take advantage" of her, she would be willing and would actively "spread her legs" to welcome him.

But...why?
Regardless of whether the asset valuation of Tianque Group is slightly inflated, 15% of the equity translates to at least a huge asset worth nearly one billion. And this is only the first time the two have met, yet Mu Li is already giving him such a large piece of cake for free?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Mu, please forgive me, I really can't understand."

Zhou Wang shook his head and directly voiced his doubts.

Mu Li wasn't surprised, but she smiled wryly and said, "Does President Zhou think I have ulterior motives?"

Zhou Wang didn't speak, but that was tantamount to acquiescence.

Mu Li bit her lip at this moment, "If I really have any other intentions, then I am just... seeking an opportunity to 'get ashore'."

"Which shore are we going to?"

"As Tianque Group has developed to this point, whether we like it or not, it has become involved in too many shady industries. Ever since I took over from my aunt, I have been trying to break free from those whirlpools, but with little success..."

Mu Li sighed, "President Zhou must have heard it just now. Among the people we serve, not everyone will always be friendly to us. There are too many interests to balance, and these calculations... make me feel very tired."

Zhou Wang remained silent, but nodded as if he understood.

Although he may not have seen the whole picture yet, based on the various pieces of information that Mu Li deliberately showed him, Zhou Wang could roughly guess the history of Mu Li and her previous generation's rise to power.

In Shenzhen, a city that once experienced rapid development and gave birth to the first generation of wealthy people in China, Mu Li's previous generation started their business in the high-end club industry and gradually developed their own social network.

This social network gathers the wealthiest and most powerful people in a specific circle.

It was precisely because of this group of people that the Mu family's assets grew larger and larger, and the industries they were involved in became more and more extensive.

But everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

Tianque Group is like an omnipresent vine, spreading its own lush growth along those thick branches, but the hidden dangers are actually quite great.

The way they built their fortunes meant they couldn't afford to offend the very people they relied on, but in a world where profit reigns supreme, that was clearly impossible.

In short, Mu Li wanted to "clear her name" and make Tianque Group completely independent so that she wouldn't have to act according to anyone else's wishes anymore.

But that... seems unrealistic.

"I've always felt it was unrealistic, but I'm not willing to accept it."

Faced with Zhou Wang's calmly questioning tone, Mu Li smiled bitterly, "Until a relative of mine in Beidu pointed me in the right direction."

"What clear path?"

Zhou Wang was taken aback.

"So, Mr. Zhou, what do you think is the purpose of this transaction I want to make with you at this time?"

Mu Li stared at Zhou Wang, as if trying to see through all the secrets of this ridiculously young man in front of her. "Why would I be willing to let you take advantage of me in every way?"

At this moment, Zhou Wang realized that "herself" was the clear path she had found.

"Mr. Mu, you must have misunderstood. I'm just an ordinary tycoon who started from scratch. I'm afraid I don't have that much power..."

Zhou Wang shook his head with a wry smile.

"is it?"

Mu Li spoke softly, with an enigmatic smile, "A financial tycoon with a global reputation, the behind-the-scenes boss of the Cloud Group whose assets are calculated in hundreds of billions, actually has such a humble self-assessment?"

(End of this chapter)