I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 316 The Ma Family Marriage
Through the transparent glass of the manager's office, the three judged from the expressions on Su Cheng and Ma Shuning's faces that Ma Shuning was probably willing to invest in Tang Li's coffee shop.

If the relevant benefits are properly distributed, the deal will most likely be successful.

Zhang Yangwen had already opened champagne for Tang Li: "President Tang, congratulations!"

Tang Li seemed to have also noticed the harmonious atmosphere when Su Cheng and Ma Shuning were talking in the manager's office, and he was convinced that his coffee had won over Ma Shuning.

Tang Li chuckled and generously offered to treat everyone to dinner that evening.

Soon, Su Cheng and Ma Shuning finished their conversation and came out.

Tang Li originally wanted to enthusiastically step forward and express his gratitude.

However, Ma Shuning had no intention of having dinner with everyone; she simply said hello and left the coffee shop.

Tang Li watched as Ma Shuning walked out of the coffee shop. Her bodyguard opened the door of her Rolls-Royce Phantom for her, and the car slowly drove away.

The three of them eagerly pressed Su Cheng to tell them how the talks inside went and what the specifics were.

Su Cheng quietly explained, "It's alright. She approves of President Tang's coffee shop and is willing to invest."

"Really?! That's great!!"

Tang Li was more excited than everyone else present.

This is something I can brag about for half my life!

"Mr. Su, thank you so much! I'll treat you to dinner tonight!"

The three did not refuse Tang Li's enthusiasm and accepted his generous hospitality.

That evening at the dinner table, Su Cheng conveyed to Tang Li that the Ma family wanted to gain absolute control and control of the shares, which was the core condition.

Besides that, Su Cheng didn't reveal much. He said he would give Tang Li a few days to think it over, and Tang Li agreed.

……

The next day.

After getting off work in the evening, Gu Jingyan invited Jiang Shuyue to her home for dinner and drinks.

In fact, Gu Jingyan had approached Jiang Shuyue several times during the day, but Jiang Shuyue refused her each time, citing that she was busy. When they met, she would only exchange a few words and tell Gu Jingyan that if it wasn't work-related, they could talk about it after get off work.

That's why Gu Jingyan invited Jiang Shuyue to her home.

Jiang Shuyue felt that she was right to do so.

She can no longer joke around with her colleagues at the company like she used to.

Furthermore, he shouldn't take advantage of work hours to chat idly with Gu Jingyan in the office, gossiping about this or that.

Previously, RK didn't have much business, wasn't busy at work, and had a lot of free time, so we chatted.

But it's different now.

Su Cheng demoted her as a warning; everyone is watching.

Jiang Shuyue also wanted to find an opportunity to subtly bring up this matter with Gu Jingyan, but she couldn't be too direct, otherwise it would make things awkward for both of them.

"Jingyan, I'm so busy during the day, I'm exhausted."

Jiang Shuyue is now the team leader of Group 1, with about ten interns under her, and she also accompanies Su Cheng in managing the Ma family's business.

Jiang Shuyue's intended message is that from now on, public matters should be kept separate from private matters.

Work matters are work matters, and personal relationships are personal matters.

In private, just act as before.

But that definitely won't work at the company; I can't keep chatting and joking around with her.

Simply put, Jiang Shuyue felt she needed to establish some boundaries.

But this matter didn't seem to be as easy as Jiang Shuyue had imagined.

This is similar to the saying, "It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality."

The same applies to relationships between people.

If she actively creates boundaries, Gu Jingyan will definitely think that she is deliberately distancing herself, which will cause their relationship to break down.

Actually, there's already a slight rift between them; they're not as close as they used to be.

Jiang Shuyue felt it was better to be honest with Gu Jingyan, so she told her the truth.

"Jingyan, I hope you don't misunderstand. I'm not saying I want to break up with you or anything. I just want to adjust how we get along at the company."

"Oh, I see, Sister Shuyue. I don't think that's quite right either."

Eh?
Jiang Shuyue was slightly surprised. It was good that Gu Jingyan understood, so that she wouldn't have to worry about this or that.

"Of course I understand!"

"Yeah, that's good!"

Jiang Shuyue breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't notice anything unusual about Gu Jingyan. On the contrary, she felt that Gu Jingyan was understanding and could understand her predicament, which greatly increased her favorability towards Gu Jingyan.

Gu Jingyan maintained her usual smiling expression and changed the subject, asking with concern, "How did it go, Sister Shuyue? How did your talks with the Ma family go yesterday?"

"Not bad, right? President Su has brought in a coffee shop manager from the mainland and wants the Ma family to invest in him."

"What's the result?"

"good."

"I heard you went to the horse farm?"

"Yes, Ma Shuning took us to the horse farm, and President Su even fell off his horse."

Gu Jingyan asked in surprise, "He fell down? I saw him at the company today, where did he fall?"

"I hurt my arm, but it's nothing serious."

Gu Jingyan laughed and complained, "My god, how come he didn't fall to his death?"

Jiang Shuyue: ? ? ?

"No, no, no, please don't say things like that."

Gu Jingyan: ?

What's the meaning.

Can't we even vent our frustrations anymore?

Isn't this just casual chatting in private?

Gu Jingyan felt a pang of sadness, but quickly changed her tune: "Pah, pah, I was just saying it offhand."

"Yeah, yeah, it's not good for us to curse people behind their backs."

Gu Jingyan changed the subject again, asking about the mysterious gambling king Ma family: "Sister Shuyue, what kind of person is Ma Shuning?"

Jiang Shuyue didn't know how to describe it.

On the surface, Ma Shuning seems quite easy to talk to; she is a gentle and refined intellectual woman.

But she also felt that Ma Shuning's attention was not on the investment, but on Su Cheng.

It is true that there is a tradition of conducting business at events in Hong Kong and Macau, but these events are mostly held in quiet places like golf courses or other events that are away from noise and crowds.

There are also people watching horse racing or other competitions, but they are mostly in quiet box suites.

Going off on horseback felt a bit... weird.

In particular, when Ma Shuning taught Su Cheng to ride a horse, the two of them shared a saddle, with their chests touching their backs.

Jiang Shuyue found this extremely ambiguous.

"Hmm? Sister Shuyue, you mean..."

……

at the same time.

New urban area of ​​Ao Island.

Zhang Yangwen packed a lot of food and had dinner at home with Su Cheng.

The two were chatting about other things when Su Cheng noticed that Zhang Yangwen's expression was strange, hesitant and stammering as if he had something to say.

"Brother Cheng, I have a favor to ask you, is that alright?"

"You say it."

Zhang Yangwen mentally prepared himself, and then made a request to Su Cheng that shocked him to his core.

He wanted to pursue Ma Shuning and hoped that Su Cheng could be his wingman and help him out.

Su Cheng: ???
No.

Is this appropriate?

Su Cheng felt that whether he helped or not was of no use.

But refusing outright would be too awkward.

"Well... maybe you shouldn't hold out any hope."

"Cheng-ge, do you mean we're not a good match?"

"Emmm, well then I'll be frank, it's really not appropriate."

"How to say?"

“There are too many incompatibilities. If you're with her, you'll definitely be in a subordinate position emotionally, the one being dominated.” Zhang Yangwen didn't seem to care: “So what if I'm dominated?”

"I mainly feel that you don't seem like the type to willingly be in a subordinate position."

Zhang Yangwen thought for a moment and said, "That depends on the person."

Su Cheng: ???
"Now I get it, you're just lusting after someone!"

"No, no..." Zhang Yangwen quickly waved his hand, "It's mainly because you know Cheng-ge, right? She's exactly my type, you know what I mean?"

"What if you get tired of it and fed up? Would you still be willing to be in a subordinate position?"

Zhang Yangwen hesitated upon hearing this.

Therefore, Su Cheng doesn't think highly of Zhang Yangwen and Ma Shuning.

It's true that Young Master Zhang is the heir of the Jin Hong Group; the small Ma family is actually considered to have climbed the social ladder.

Without the Zhang family background, what opportunities would Zhang Yangwen have?

The story of Snow White falling in love with the Toad Prince doesn't exist in wealthy families; it's a fairy tale.

"It's okay. I just want to give it a try. I'm willing to be a live-in son-in-law, but if she doesn't like it, then forget it. I won't pester her."

Not buddy.

So, live-in sons-in-law are appearing now?

Su Cheng retorted, "Then can your dad beat you to death?"

"Probably not. I don't think my dad is that old-fashioned. He didn't ask me about my girlfriend when I was in college, and he even gave me money."

"Of course not, they might break your legs."

“How do you know my dad would break my leg?” Zhang Yangwen seriously considered his father’s reaction when he found out about this: “Given my dad’s temper, he’ll probably just break one of my legs, which I can accept.”

A three-legged toad?
That young master Zhang is indeed quite likable.

Having a girlfriend is having a girlfriend.

A son-in-law who lives with his wife's family is a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family.

How can a son-in-law who marries into his wife's family inherit the family business?

Old Zhang would definitely disagree.

If the Ma family knew Zhang Yangwen's true identity, the whole family would be overjoyed.

Even if Zhang Yangwen and Ma Shuning don't love each other, they'll still put on an act.

But what's the point of sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams, of being together in name only?

"Brother Cheng, don't be shy. Actually, I can tell that she seems to have a bit of a crush on you."

Su Cheng:?
"You see it too?"

"What do you mean by 'also', Cheng-ge? Did you figure it out?"

"No, Jiang Shuyue just texted me, hinting that I shouldn't fall for Ma Shuning's honey trap," Su Cheng explained.

However, Su Cheng had noticed before that Ma Shuning seemed to have some thoughts in that regard.

Su Cheng was mainly surprised that the two of you were practically clueless when it came to business, but when it came to emotions, you both became incredibly perceptive.

Are they all just playing me?
Su Cheng asked helplessly, "Since you've already figured it out, why do you still want me to help you out?"

"That's why I wanted to ask you what you think, Cheng-ge. What are your feelings for her? If you have any ideas, I'll give up on thinking about it now."

Zhang Yangwen's attitude was so sincere that Su Cheng didn't know how to refuse.

He actually didn't want to get involved.

“I definitely won’t accept it; we’re not on the same path.”

Su Cheng decisively denied his feelings for Ma Shuning.

"But I'll try my best to help you with the assist, okay?"

"I'm telling you this upfront, it has to be at the right time."

"I won't help you when it comes to official business, cooperation, or business negotiations."

"Yes, that's enough!"

"You need to show some results yourself."

"understand!"

After dinner, Su Cheng helped Zhang Yangwen tidy up and then went upstairs to rest.

He has already given Tang Li two versions of the proposal and given him a few days to consider them.

Tang Li is a rather petty person, but "petty" isn't quite accurate. He created the coffee shop not to make money, but to fulfill his dream, so Tang Li won't give up on the brand.

There's no point in trying to persuade them.

His core principle is: maximizing profits.

Tang Li makes money, the Ma family makes money, and he also makes money.

Su Cheng wants to create a win-win-win situation.

He will avoid giving up his shares if possible, and if he does give up, he will only give up a portion of them, keeping some shares as a source of cash.

C'est La Vie is definitely not targeting Mixue Ice Cream, so it won't open that many stores.

Its strategic positioning is a bit higher than Starbucks, but it can be used as a reference.

Starbucks' annual profit in China is $28 billion, which is about 20 billion yuan.

C'est La Vie's market is certainly smaller, probably only a tenth the size of Starbucks.

However, their C'est La Vie has a higher unit price, and the profit margin may reach about one-fifth of Starbucks'.

That adds up to 40 billion.

Tang Li owns 85% of the shares, and Su Cheng owns 15%.

Assuming Tang Li relinquishes 80% and Su Cheng relinquishes 10%, this would be enough to meet the Ma family's minimum requirement of 90% of the shares, leaving him and Tang Li each with 5%.

They receive approximately 200 million yuan each year.

Adding the 5% profit that the Ma family will give them, 400 million in cash a year isn't bad, is it?
This number is already a very successful case for people in the consulting industry.

But Su Cheng wanted more than that.

Regardless of whether it was President Bai who arranged the connection for her, Su Cheng had to do her best.

If that's the case, then Mr. Bai won't lose face, and neither will I.

If not, then Su Cheng needs to win the Ma family's trust even more.

Su Cheng wanted to develop the Ma family, a long-established capitalist family, into a network of connections that she could utilize.

When it comes to connections, there's definitely something to say about it.

The Ma family seems to want to develop Su Cheng into their network, which can be seen from Ma Shuning's behavior.

All three of them are quite sensitive about this.

Zhang Yangwen and Jiang Shuyue could both see it, so Su Cheng was certainly not blind either.

Su Cheng strongly suspected that the Ma family wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Su family, and that Ma Shuning was the person the Ma family had chosen.

Because they needed to protect themselves from the Ma family, they couldn't say it was their biological son.

Su Cheng guessed that President Bai might have disguised his identity with the Ma family, possibly as some other distant relative.

The previous entertainment venue business and this investment project are both tests of Su Cheng's capabilities.

It would be good if Su Cheng had the ability, but the Ma family could accept it even if he didn't.

Why can you accept it?

Marrying Su Tianyan's biological son versus marrying Su Tianyan's nephew or niece would result in completely different treatment.

Even if he is Su Tianyan's nephew or niece, it is still considered a step up for the Ma family.

Secondly, Ma Shuning is not as kind, down-to-earth, and approachable as she appears on the surface. He believes that this woman is hiding many things.

If this man is incompetent and brainless, and Ma Shuning is in a dominant position emotionally, then her power will be limitless, and she will most likely be controlled by the Ma family later.

After analyzing the situation, Su Cheng felt as if the fog had cleared from his mind.

Almost all the logic here is sound.

"If that's the case, then it all makes sense."

Su Cheng is starting to get a little worried.

Did his promise to help Zhang Yangwen harm Zhang Yangwen?

If Zhang Yangwen had refused at the time, he would have felt that he was taking advantage of others.

Su Cheng has already agreed, and it's too late to back out now.

"Tsk."

Su Cheng clicked his tongue unconsciously, now feeling a little annoyed.

"I agreed a little too quickly, and I feel like something bad might happen."

(End of this chapter)