Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

The so-called club looks like a very luxurious upscale restaurant with a strong Hong Kong style. It has all the facilities for dining, tea drinking, and entertainment, and is also staffed with handsome waiters, but it is not open to the public.

The people at Honggang are quite pragmatic; the space inside the clubhouse has been utilized to the fullest extent. The seats are close together, but not cramped; on the contrary, they feel quite intimate.

Wherever a beautiful woman goes, she will always become the focus of attention, especially since this beauty is a well-known female host on a TV station. When Han Shasha appeared in the club, she naturally caused a small commotion.

Almost everyone in the club crowded around, some greeting her, some handing out business cards, and some introducing themselves, all busy and enjoying themselves. Han Shasha handled everything very appropriately, making everyone feel comfortable and at the same time avoiding any hint of ambiguity.

Thanks to Han Shasha, An Xiaohai suddenly became known to everyone and exchanged many business cards. Mai Xiaoyu, standing next to him, naturally also attracted a lot of attention.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group led Han Shasha and An Xiaohai to the largest tea room for a chat. It was during this time that An Xiaohai saw another side of Han Shasha.

Han Shasha is not just a pretty face. No matter what topic everyone is talking about, she can always chime in, and not just with empty platitudes. She often has some of her own insights, and in An Xiaohai's opinion, more than 70% of these insights are correct and very farsighted.

Han Shasha is particularly adept at interpreting various policies, which impressed An Xiaohai.

An Xiaohai quickly gained everyone's approval, firstly because of his mysterious and powerful background, and secondly because of his profound and unique insights into the future development of various industries. Some of his casual remarks were very inspiring to the people present.

However, An Xiaohai rarely spoke, and most of the time he quietly listened to what others were saying.

An Xiaohai has never actually run a business. He's fine talking about general principles, but if he goes into too much detail, he'll expose his ignorance. To everyone else, this state of mind is actually a sign of maturity and composure, which makes An Xiaohai seem even more mysterious and wins him more favor.

Mai Xiaoyu barely spoke, sitting beside An Xiaohai the entire time, doing everything for him. Her meticulous care drew many envious glances from An Xiaohai.

While listening to the people around him talking, An Xiaohai's attention was quietly wandering around the entire club. Soon, two people caught his attention.

There were about 20 people in the club. An Xiaohai and his group were at the largest table, while the others were in groups of three or five. Only these two people seemed a bit special.

One of them was the person Xu Congzhou had warned An Xiaohai to be careful of. He was sitting in a corner, whispering something to a middle-aged woman adorned with jewels.

The other person was truly lonely. He was about 50 years old, with an average appearance and a slightly overweight build. He was wearing a somewhat worn-out Zhongshan suit and was sitting alone in the tea room next to the other person, drinking tea. He looked awkward and embarrassed.

This man had a strong aura of someone within the system, which explains why few people paid him any attention in this setting. In this era, Hong Kong businessmen naturally harbored some resentment towards people within the mainland system.

When Han Shasha brought them out earlier, this person didn't come over to join in the fun. An Xiaohai was a little curious and wondered why this person would come to participate in such a purely business gathering.

After chatting for about half an hour, An Xiaohai excused himself to go to the restroom and left the teahouse. Mai Xiaoyu wanted to go with him, but An Xiaohai stopped her with a look.

An Xiaohai checked her makeup in the bathroom. She didn't know if it was because she had been using it for a long time, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she actually had the illusion that this was how she always looked.

An Xiaohai couldn't help but give a wry smile, slowly dried his hands, and walked out of the bathroom.

The atmosphere at the large table was lively. Mai Xiaoyu had already sat down next to Han Shasha. An Xiaohai thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards the lonely person in the corner.

"Hello, may I get to know you?" An Xiaohai walked up to the middle-aged man, who was around 50 years old, and bowed slightly.

"Yes, of course! I couldn't be happier! Welcome, welcome, please sit down!" Although the middle-aged man was quite surprised, he warmly invited An Xiaohai to sit down and even stood up to shake hands with him.

"My surname is Chen, Chen Maogan, from Hai'an International Trade Co., Ltd." An Xiaohai handed over his business card. His business card was very simple, with only a company name, his name and a phone number on it.

"My surname is Zhao, my name is Zhao Gang, and I am the chairman of Fuwang Grain and Oil," Zhao Gang immediately handed over his business card.

An Xiaohai raised his eyebrows slightly, immediately understanding why no one was paying attention to him.

Fuwang Grain and Oil originated from the former supply and marketing system. It is a very large but also very bloated state-owned enterprise in Haidong Province, possessing all the advantages and disadvantages of state-owned enterprises.

After the reform and opening up, Fuwang Grain and Oil also began to restructure, and has been on a downward trend ever since. If An Xiaohai remembers correctly, in another three to five years, Fuwang Grain and Oil went bankrupt and was restructured.

"May I address you as General Manager Zhao?"

"Of course, calling me General Manager Zhao is fine, haha!" Zhao Gang was clearly a little uncomfortable. To him, An Xiaohai looked too young, and Zhao Gang couldn't find a topic to talk about for a while.

"Mr. Zhao, I've noticed you've been sitting here alone. Are you waiting for someone?" An Xiaohai asked with a smile.

"No," Zhao Gang shook his head, "I'm here to ask for money, so everyone's avoiding me, haha."

"He needs money... So Mr. Zhao is here to find investment..." An Xiaohai was slightly taken aback, not expecting Zhao Gang to be so direct: "But Mr. Zhao, as far as I know, your company is a state-owned enterprise, can't you directly get loans from banks?"

"Sigh, we've already borrowed a lot!" Zhao Gang sighed deeply. "Our group's two previous leaders were both brought down for embezzlement and bribery. A once-great company has now been reduced to an empty shell. What bank would dare to lend to us now?!"

I only took over this mess in the middle of last year, and after taking office I found it full of problems. It's tough!

When this issue came up, Zhao Gang was clearly moved. As if venting, he poured out all the difficulties that Fuwang Grain and Oil was currently facing. He talked for a full 20 minutes, and An Xiaohai couldn't get a word in edgewise!

In fact, An Xiaohai had already anticipated the problems Zhao Gang mentioned. They were nothing more than common problems of state-owned enterprises, such as complex industrial structure, redundant and chaotic personnel, weak sales, and lack of innovation. Coupled with high debt, it would be strange if Fuwang Grain and Oil did well!

An Xiaohai knew very well that the vast majority of state-owned enterprises were in very good industries. Ultimately, the key issue was people. As long as the people problem could be solved, more than 90% of state-owned enterprises could quickly demonstrate strong vitality and turn losses into profits.

From Zhao Gang's account, An Xiaohai could also glean some other information, such as the fact that the grassroots employees of Fuwang Grain and Oil were quite united and had a strong desire to save themselves.

Fuwang Grain and Oil has a very well-established sales network. A large portion of the former supply and marketing cooperatives and grain and oil stores in the Jiangnan region have been transferred to Fuwang Grain and Oil Group, which makes their offline stores like capillaries, covering almost the entire Jiangnan region.

However, it is precisely because of the large number of sales outlets that Fuwang Grain and Oil has been burdened with a heavy burden. Without the support of a large sales volume, these sales outlets will soon be unable to continue operating.

An Xiaohai was also interested in some other information: Fuwang Grain and Oil had many affiliated companies, such as flour mills, beverage factories, and cold drink factories, but none of them were very large.

"Sigh, that's how it is. It feels much better to say it out loud!" Zhao Gang sighed after finally finishing speaking.

"Mr. Zhao, what you've said are all your disadvantages, and they won't help you attract investment at all!" An Xiaohai said with a wry smile.

"I know that," Zhao Gang nodded. "But we can't lie to people. People who can build a business are not simple, especially the entrepreneurs sitting here. They are all very capable."

If I only talk about the advantages and not the disadvantages, even if I manage to fool people, they will understand everything once they come and see for themselves. This will not help at all. Not only will I not be able to attract investment, but I will also ruin their impression and make them think that we are fraudsters.

Let's be upfront and discuss the unpleasant aspects first. If you can accept that, we can continue the discussion; if not, we won't waste each other's time.

"..."

Zhao Gang's words left An Xiaohai speechless for a moment. What a laid-back way he was to attract investment!

However, Zhao Gang's words were very sincere in the cutthroat world of business. But sadly, in most cases, there is no place for sincerity in the business world.

"Mr. Zhao, how much investment do you want?" An Xiaohai asked after thinking for a moment.

"What, Mr. Chen, are you interested in investing?" Zhao Gang instantly perked up and sat up straight.

"I'm sorry, I'm not interested at the moment, but I'd like to hear what Mr. Zhao has to say. Maybe I'll become interested as I listen."

I've always felt that the grain and oil industry is a very good industry, closely related to people's lives. If I have the opportunity to get involved, I'd be willing to learn more about it.

Even if I don't apply myself, I can introduce it to my friends. I know quite a few Malaysian Chinese, including some in the grain and oil industry. I'll mention it to them when I have the chance; maybe there'll be hope.

"That's great!" Zhao Gang's eyes lit up. "I'm looking to invest in a new edible oil production line."

Our current products have outdated packaging and lack standardized specifications, making it impossible for us to establish a distinctive and unified brand. As a result, we simply cannot compete with other companies' products.

Therefore, I want to find investment to purchase an advanced edible oil production line from abroad, redesign the product appearance, and gradually build our own brand.

That's exactly what I think, yes! Zhao Gang nodded vigorously after saying that, as if he were encouraging himself.

An Xiaohai nodded in agreement. In this day and age, having a clear brand awareness is very rare. It's just that Zhao Gang's thinking was a bit simplistic.

Production lines can only solve product problems, but they cannot solve the people problems within a company. Without solving the people problems, even the best products are useless.

But Zhao Gang's idea shows that he really wants to make Fuwang Grain and Oil a success.

"Approximately how much would a production line like this cost?"

"Around 500 million!" Zhao Gang held out one hand. "If you include the supporting packaging production line, it would be 800 million, but we can... Excuse me, Mr. Chen, please wait a moment. I need to take this call, I'll be right back!"

Zhao Gang's phone rang, and judging from his furrowed brow as he held the phone, it probably wasn't anything good.

Zhao Gang went to answer the phone. An Xiaohai glanced at the large table, where the group was still chatting enthusiastically, and even Mai Xiaoyu seemed very engrossed.

Just then, a soft voice came from behind An Xiaohai: "President Chen, if I may be frank, these people are really not suitable for this job!"

An Xiaohai slowly turned around, a slight smile appearing on his lips: "Thank you, I know that."

They have many flaws. The employees are often inefficient, lack ambition, and only think about taking advantage of others; the managers are aloof, have poor business skills, rigid thinking, and are bossy.

Such companies often struggle to survive once they are launched into the market.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right! I'm sorry, I overheard your conversation by accident. I was worried you'd get hurt, so I couldn't help but chime in."

"I should be thanking you. There aren't many kind-hearted people like you these days!" An Xiaohai smiled brightly.

"Hey! This is a private gathering, everyone here is a friend. How can we let a friend suffer a loss? Haha, my surname is Zhan, this is my business card, please keep it, Mr. Chen!"

An Xiaohai accepted the business card: Zhan Weiting!

"Who brought this Mr. Zhao here?" An Xiaohai asked as he put away the business card.

"He was brought by a friend from the Haixi Chamber of Commerce. I heard that the friend didn't want to bring him, but he couldn't resist his persistent pleading and had to bring him."

Actually, grain and oil is a good business. At the beginning, many friends were interested in his project, but after visiting his company, they all gave up.

"You have no idea! They employ all sorts of people! Three workers do the work of one, and those junior managers are all so arrogant, acting like they're royalty. I really don't know what they're doing keeping these people around. It's a miracle a company like that can make money!"

"That's how state-owned enterprises are; there's a reason why they act this way."

"Oh? Is that so? I'd love to hear the details!" Zhan Weiting immediately perked up.

An Xiaohai chuckled inwardly, lowered his voice, and mysteriously approached Zhan Weiting. Following Zhan's lead, he launched into a long tirade against state-owned enterprises and the government: "...State-owned enterprises aren't businesses. They don't follow commercial rules. Truly capable people won't stay in these places; these places can't accommodate them, hehe!"

"So that's how it is! That makes perfect sense! That really makes perfect sense!"

Zhan Weiting became visibly excited, his eyes gleaming: "Come on, Mr. Chen, don't waste time with him. Come sit here, I'll introduce you to some very interesting friends!"

An Xiaohai glanced at Zhao Gang, who was still on the phone, looking extremely upset, as if he was angry with someone. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to finish his call anytime soon.

"Alright, let's not waste any more time and talk about something worthwhile!" An Xiaohai stood up with a smile, and Zhan Weiting immediately offered him a seat.