Full charm points, inherit game assets

Chapter 666 Ouyang's Hidden Worries

The headquarters building of Zhongshu Group, 17th floor.

"Mr. Xie, this way please."

"Thank you."

Xie Shuyu was led into the inner conference room by a female assistant.

After the female assistant poured her a cup of hot water, she bowed and left, gently closing the door behind her.

Xie Shuyu did not sit down, but instead walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking down at this bustling yet unfamiliar city, his eyes were filled with gloom.

Just now, she met with the operations director of [Shuxian].

The results were far from ideal.

The other party neither acknowledged any problems with the delivery nor mentioned any compensation for contract termination.

He just kept dodging the issue, shirking all responsibility.

Xie Shuyu had seen and dealt with many seasoned veterans of the workplace.

If it were a normal business collaboration, she could have initiated legal proceedings, forcibly terminated the contract, and settled the matter with a relatively small penalty.

But behind [Shuxian] is [Zhongshu Group].

This company, with its strong state-owned background, is the leading logistics and catering enterprise in the entire Southwest region, and a true "local power".

[Weiguang Coffee]'s current stores in Southwest China, apart from cold chain transportation, all have suppliers for core materials that are used, and these suppliers all have some degree of involvement from [Zhongshu Group].

Weiguang Coffee has just entered the Southwest market.

She also didn't want to get into legal trouble with the other party, which would hinder her expansion plans.

The stalemate lasted until the very end.

The operations director had someone bring her here to wait for Chen Hao, the person in charge and general manager of [Shuxian].

According to the information provided by Meng Ran, this second-generation rich kid is not an easy person to deal with.

He is quite arrogant and eager to achieve success in order to inherit the family business, so he attaches great importance to the [Shuxian] business.

"Knock knock knock—" A knocking sound suddenly rang out on the door.

Xie Shuyu immediately turned around and looked towards the door.

Immediately afterwards, the meeting room door was pushed open.

A man in his early thirties walked in, accompanied by his assistant.

He was wearing a well-tailored Zegna suit and thin, frameless glasses. He was quite handsome, but his always slightly squinted eyes ruined the overall impression.

Xie Shuyu had seen countless people, and with just one glance, she formed a general impression of the other person in her mind.

A second-generation rich kid who's become overly arrogant from being fed by his family background and power.

As soon as he entered, his gaze fell on Xie Shuyu without any attempt to hide it.

Looking at that dignified and beautiful tall figure, an undisguised look of amazement flashed in his eyes.

Standing at 175 cm tall, Xie Shuyu has fair skin and a curvaceous figure; she would be considered a true beauty anywhere.

She was already used to such gazes, and her face showed no unusual expression.

"This must be the famous President Xie, right? I'm Chen Hao, it's a pleasure to meet you. I didn't expect President Xie to be so beautiful." Chen Hao quickly walked a few steps to her side.

His words carried a hint of flippancy.

Xie Shuyu seemed oblivious, smiling as she said, "Hello, Mr. Chen, I've heard so much about you."

After some polite greetings, Chen Hao sat down in the head seat.

Looking at her, he said, "President Xie, I have already severely criticized the people below regarding some minor issues that arose during our previous cooperation. Rest assured, I guarantee that such issues will never occur again."

These words startled Xie Shuyu slightly.

She didn't expect the other party to be so humble and to directly admit their mistake.

This is completely different from the attitude of the previous Director Wang.

After a moment's hesitation, she followed her original plan and politely said, "Mr. Chen, you flatter me. Actually, it's mainly due to the strategic development of our [Weiguang Coffee] company. We want to upgrade our nationwide supply chain system, so we have to suspend our current cooperation with some regional suppliers. We hope you can understand."

"Oh?" Chen Hao still had a smile on his face, seemingly unsurprised by her decision. "President Xie, would you mind telling me about your company's development plan? Let's just treat this as a casual chat between friends, and I'll also learn something."

Xie Shuyu raised her eyebrows almost imperceptibly and took a light breath.

He began to clearly and quietly describe Weiguang Coffee's future nationwide expansion plan and its higher requirements for the supply chain.

In any case, she didn't want to offend the other party and hoped to resolve the issue peacefully.

Inside the meeting room, her sophisticated and magnetic mature voice rang out.

Chen Hao's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

After Xie Shuyu finished speaking, he even clapped his hands, a genuine smile on his face, and exclaimed, "President Xie is truly amazing! You have such foresight and great courage! Moreover, I heard that your company has also reached a deep strategic cooperation with [Yuntong Zhicui], which is truly admirable."

"Thank you for your recognition, Mr. Chen," Xie Shuyu replied modestly. "I just met with Mr. Zhao of [Yuntong Zhicui] in Yunnan Province last week, and we had a very pleasant conversation."

Chen Hao leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on her.

Finally, he revealed his true intentions: "To be honest, Mr. Xie, I personally have a very positive outlook on the future of [Weiguang Coffee], or rather... I have a very positive outlook on you, Mr. Xie. I hope that our cooperation can go even deeper."

Xie Shuyu frowned slightly, but maintained her professional smile: "Oh? I wonder what insights President Chen has?"

“It’s very simple.” Chen Hao’s smile became confident. “First, we can immediately optimize the supply chain and provide Weiguang with the highest priority delivery level to help you complete cold chain transportation nationwide. As for the price, I will reduce it by another five percentage points.”

"Secondly, you may not know that our [Zhongshu Group] also owns a chain coffee brand called [Kayu Shiguang], which has 21 directly operated stores throughout the Southwest region. We can directly merge this brand into [Weiguang Coffee] through cross-shareholding, saving you the huge effort of finding stores and expanding in new markets."

"Third, and most importantly, I, and the Zhongshu Group behind me, can also participate in Weiguang's Series B financing. So, Mr. Xie, are you satisfied with this cooperation plan?"

He believes that no entrepreneur could resist such a tempting "gift package".

This meeting was meticulously planned by him.

The reason why he let the operations director wear down Xie Shuyu's patience for an hour before he himself made his belated appearance was a negotiation strategy to ensure a smoother cooperation in the future.

He wanted to achieve results to increase his leverage in inheriting the entire Zhongshu Group in the future; the current business of Shuxian was far from enough.

If a deep collaboration can be established with the emerging and promising brand [Weiguang Coffee], revitalizing the group's struggling coffee brand and even enabling it to enter the national market, it would undoubtedly make his achievements even more remarkable.

What he didn't expect was that Xie Shuyu herself was so beautiful.

In particular, her dignified and intellectual aura as a strong woman filled him with a strong desire to conquer her.

He wouldn't mind having some "deeper" cooperation with the other party.

This leads to the investment temptation mentioned in the third point.

Xie Shuyu paused for a moment, a hint of emotion flashing in her eyes.

She is an extremely rational businesswoman, and naturally she can clearly calculate the enormous value behind Chen Hao's words.

By directly acquiring a well-established brand with 21 stores, [Weiguang Coffee] can instantly seize the bridgehead of the entire Southwest market at the lowest cost and fastest speed.

The capital investment from Zhongshu Group means that she will gain a powerful ally with deep state-owned background and local resources.

The temptation was simply too great.

However, having been in the business world for many years, she naturally saw Chen Hao's hidden greed.

【Zhongshu Group】is a true behemoth, the absolute leader in the entire Southwest catering industry. Once they enter as shareholders, they can easily dilute and erode 【Weiguang Coffee】step by step through capital operations and unequal resource advantages, ultimately swallowing the entire company completely.

She had seen far too many of these "dealing with a tiger for its skin" transactions.

Most importantly, Chen Hao's gaze carried a sticky quality that made her extremely uncomfortable from beginning to end.

Now that she and Tang Song are together, she naturally won't get involved with other men for the sake of her career.

Tang Song has already done enough for her; she can't cause him any more trouble.

Thinking of this, all of Xie Shuyu's greed was instantly extinguished.

"Mr. Chen, your cooperation proposal is very sincere and forward-looking. Thank you for valuing our Weiguang Coffee."

However, our Series A investor in [Weiguang Coffee] is a very low-profile independent investor.

He has a clear and strong plan for the company's equity structure and future development pace.

So… I might have to disappoint you.

She cleverly portrayed Tang Song as a "mysterious and domineering" behind-the-scenes boss, hoping to make the other party think twice.

"Oh? An independent investor? That sounds pretty impressive." Chen Hao leaned back in his chair and slowly took off his glasses. "How about Mr. Xie invites him out so we can talk in person? I believe that the strength of our [Zhongshu Group] is definitely enough to gain the recognition of any top investor."

The atmosphere in the reception room gradually became somber.

Xie Shuyu looked at him and said, "I think... there's no need for that."

"Hehe." Chen Hao crossed his hands in front of him and leaned back. "President Xie, there's no need to rush to refuse. After all, Weiguang's business in the Southwest has just begun, and there's a long road ahead. You can take your time to consider it."

Xie Shuyu paused slightly, naturally understanding the subtext in the other person's words.

I also understand that it's impossible to cancel the logistics partnership smoothly today.

She took a deep breath and put on her polite smile again. "Okay, thank you for the reminder, Mr. Chen. I have other plans, so I'll take my leave now."

Chen Hao stood up, looking at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "Let's go, President Xie. I'll see you off."

……

The afternoon sun in Chengdu shone on her, but Xie Shuyu felt no warmth at all; instead, she felt it was incredibly glaring.

"Ring ring—" The cell phone suddenly rang. [Meng Ran]

Xie Shuyu answered the phone, "Hello, Ranran."

"Xiaoyu, are you done talking? How did it go?"

"We couldn't reach an agreement." Xie Shuyu pursed her dry lips, her voice tinged with weariness. "And... a new problem has arisen."

She briefly recounted her conversation with Chen Hao.

Meng Ran remained silent for a long time, then sighed, "Ultimately, it's because [Weiguang Coffee] is too valuable now, and it's attracted attention. Upstream, there's [Yuntong Zhicui] in the supply chain, and downstream, there's [Xingyun International Group] in marketing. Especially Xingyun International, you might not have heard of it recently, but it's received substantial financial support and is currently expanding rapidly..."

Hearing her words, Xie Shuyu quickly understood.

With the strong support of Wenruan, the cooperation between [Weiguang Coffee] and [Nebula International] is a comprehensive and in-depth partnership.

It has even been frequently reported as a typical case of "empowering new consumer brands" and has appeared on Nebula's list of important external partners.

This is also an important reason why Microlight has developed so smoothly in recent months.

In the eyes of those with ulterior motives, they are like fat sheep about to soar to great heights.

Entering the market now at a low price through "cross-shareholding" will yield amazing returns in the future.

After hanging up the phone, I got into a taxi.

Xie Shuyu glanced through the car window at the massive headquarters building of Zhongshu Group, and a deep sense of apprehension and fear welled up inside her.

【Zhongshu Group】is a true giant in Southwest China, a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of tens of billions of yuan.

Behind it lies not only the support of a robust local industrial fund, but also the employment of tens of thousands of people, and its relationship with the local government is intricate and deeply rooted.

She's someone you can't afford to mess with.

But we have no choice but to face it.

It seems that once Tang Song arrives in Chengdu, we must have a proper talk with him, no matter what.

Hopefully, we can find a compromise solution.

The taxi drove along the busy street.

Xie Shuyu leaned against the car window, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up in her heart.

……

at the same time.

On the banks of Huanhua Creek, there is an independent Chinese-style courtyard nestled among a century-old ginkgo and nanmu forest.

Inside the study, a huge rosewood desk was covered with fine Huizhou Xuan paper.

The air is filled with a faint scent of ink and wood, a fragrance that has been accumulated over time.

Holding a purple-haired brush, Ouyang Xian Yue concentrated and wrote with great skill and grace.

She wore a modernized cheongsam made of top-quality Song brocade, which perfectly outlined her mature and slender figure, exuding elegance and nobility.

Opposite her sat a well-maintained elderly woman, nearing sixty, sitting quietly.

Watching her daughter's fluid movements, her eyes were filled with love, but also concealed a hint of worry.

"Little Bear, stay home for a few more days this time. No matter how busy you are at work, take care of your health."

Ouyang Xian Yue put down his brush and carefully examined the naturally elegant character "静" (quiet) on the rice paper.

He calmly replied, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be staying in Chengdu for a while this time. I have some very important things to take care of."

"Little Bear" is her childhood nickname, given to her by her grandfather, an academician hailed as a "national hero".

I hope she can be as healthy and strong as a little bear.

However, at this age and in this position, only her mother still calls her that in private.

"That's good." A hint of joy appeared in the mother's eyes.

Seeing that his daughter had stopped writing, he began to care about her health and work.

As Ouyang Xian Yue answered, she walked to the tea table by the window.

With practiced ease, he brewed a pot of Ganlu tea, sourced from Mengding Mountain, for the two of them.

The aroma of tea is fragrant and refreshing.

The mother took a sip of tea, gazing at her daughter's face, which appeared even more beautiful in the steam, and slowly spoke:

"Your tea-making skills are increasingly reminiscent of your grandfather's. Seeing Tang Yi's current success under your care, he must be very proud of you from heaven."

She paused, then changed the subject, her tone gentle yet pointed, "But, little bear, a big tree, no matter how lush its branches and leaves or how solid its roots, needs new branches to grow in order to truly endure for a hundred years and better withstand the wind and rain, doesn't it?"

Ouyang Xian Yue put down her teacup, looked up at her mother, and said with a half-smile, "What? Did my father send you to 'select' me again?"

The mother's expression was slightly awkward, then turned into a soft sigh: "It's time to make plans for the long term. Your grandfather probably won't make it through this winter."

Ouyang Xian Yue paused, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.

The towering tree that sheltered her from the wind and rain was finally going to fall.

Seeing her expression, her mother couldn't help but continue to persuade her: "Also, Qiming has been with you for so many years, and you're all alone... It really breaks my heart to see you like this. Tangyi Precision is already so huge now, you should also think about your own situation."

I heard the name of her deceased husband.

Ouyang Xian Yue remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

"I know my own situation, and now is not the time."

Today, the seemingly stable and enormous power behind her is nothing more than an extremely delicate balance between two major pillars.

On one side is her own Ouyang family, and the intricate network of domestic political and business resources she inherited from that brief marriage—this is her "root."

On the other side is the Tang Jin Family Office, representing top international financial capital; that is her "wing".

With deep roots, one can stand invincible; with strong wings, one can soar to the highest heavens.

But if she chooses to remarry, or even have children, this fragile balance will be instantly and completely shattered.

But now is far from the time for a showdown.

“Jin Meixiao…” Ouyang Xian Yue murmured to himself, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Kim Mi-so and Anne Kate represent an international conglomerate fraught with uncertainty and danger.

She needs to slowly change and influence, using the family's resources to protect Tang Song and prevent him from being devoured by greedy capital.

It's important to know that Kim Mi-so controls the daily operations of the entire Tang-Kim system.

Moreover, the Tang and Song dynasties have been "invisible" all these years.

Once Tang Song truly "disappears," she will be the rightful de facto controller.

In her view, the relationship between Tang Song and Jin Meixiao, apart from the gratitude for being recognized and mentored, is probably just the "love" that has been cultivated over the years.

Jin Meixiao's love for the Tang and Song dynasties is beyond question.

But how deep is this feeling? Who can guarantee it?
Ironically, what she fears most every day is that Jin Meixiao might be tempted to kill Tang Song because of his promiscuity.

The temptation is simply too great.

If it were her, facing a "partner" whose loyalty was questionable and who had countless female confidantes.

When you have absolute power that can replace someone, you might be tempted...

Even if not now, what about later?

When Tang and Song had children with others...

This is also the fundamental reason why she was forced to get involved in the "harem" struggle.

She must cultivate another force within the household office that can rival Kim Mi-so.

This would create an internal, healthy system of checks and balances to ensure the security of the Tang and Song dynasties, as well as the stability of the entire "Tang-Jin" system.

However, at present, neither Su Yu nor Liu Qingning is mature enough, and each has its own fatal flaws.

Su Yu possesses top-tier beauty, the aura of a national goddess, hundreds of millions of fans, and unparalleled social influence.

But her core is too fragile and too unstable.

Ouyang Xian Yue was well aware that Su Yu's feelings for the Tang and Song dynasties had reached an almost pathological and obsessive level.

This relationship is both her strongest weapon and her most fatal weakness.

Liu Qingning, on the other hand, is quite the opposite.

The deep bond between her and the Tang and Song dynasties, which lasted for more than a decade, is unparalleled.

She herself is intelligent and rational, and is a top student who graduated from the Imperial University of Beijing.

But her vision and skills are still far from sufficient.

Just as her thoughts were churning.

"Ding-dong-"

The phone on the tea table suddenly lit up.

Ouyang Xian Yue glanced at it and immediately sat up straight.

A strong light suddenly burst forth from those usually calm eyes.

[Tang and Song Dynasties: "Long time no see, Ouyang."]

(End of this chapter)