Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"Mr. Chen, I ran into Mr. Zhao when I went out to buy something, so I invited him up!" About ten minutes later, Mai Xiaoyu returned with Zhao Gang.

"What a coincidence! Mr. Zhao, please have a seat!" An Xiaohai didn't stand on ceremony and invited Zhao Gang to sit down.

Zhao Gang chuckled and sat down opposite An Xiaohai, placing his bulging briefcase aside. He rubbed his thighs together and surveyed the room's layout: "Mr. Chen, this place is really nice, quite spacious!"

"Well, there's no other way. Secretary Xiaoyu and her brothers have been traveling all over the world with me all these years. I can't just leave them homeless."

"Buy a bigger house, it'll be more lively with everyone living together."

"Great! That's wonderful!"

"Come on, Mr. Zhao, have some tea."

An Xiaohai brewed the tea and he and Zhao Gang each drank a cup.

"Mr. Chen, I have completed the task you asked me to do last time. I have personally communicated with the people you had your eye on, and they are all fine and have no intention of leaving Fuwang Grain and Oil for the time being."

I've printed out all their information and brought it with me. Mr. Chen, please take a look.

Zhao Gang opened his briefcase, took out a stack of documents, and handed them to An Xiaohai. An Xiaohai took them and looked at them with some surprise. The documents were very detailed, and all the photos he had taken were matched with the documents.

"Mr. Zhao is incredibly efficient!"

"That's only right! Well said, time is of the essence! Since we've asked Mr. Chen for help, we have to show some commitment!"

"As I said, we help each other."

Since President Zhao is so sincere, I think I should reciprocate in kind, Chen Xun!

An Xiaohai beckoned to Zhou Xun, who immediately pulled out the suitcase from the next room, placed it next to Zhao Gang, and opened it. Inside the suitcase were neatly stacked, brand-new 100 million yuan in cash.

Zhao Gang's breathing visibly paused for several seconds: "President Chen, this is..."

"This is to put your mind at ease!" An Xiaohai smiled slightly and refilled Zhao Gang's teacup. "I understand Mr. Zhao's feelings. You won't be at ease until the cooperation is finalized."

So I've prepared this 100 million yuan as a deposit for our cooperation. Mr. Zhao, please take this money back and use it to pay everyone the bonuses they owe.

"This... Mr. Chen, this doesn't seem quite right!" Zhao Gang was a little flustered. He never expected that An Xiaohai would so casually offer him 100 million!

"What's wrong with it?"

"This...it needs some kind of official title, right? I can't just accept this money! How can I feel at ease accepting it?"

"That's true, it needs some kind of name..." An Xiaohai frowned slightly as he thought for a moment, "How about this, let's consider this money as the start-up capital for our strategic cooperation, or you can call it a deposit."

As for how to use it, that's up to you; I won't interfere. You can use it for whatever you want. However, I still suggest that using it to pay out the outstanding bonuses to everyone is the most appropriate way to use it.

Zhao Gang was even more surprised. He stared blankly at An Xiaohai for a long time, his face turning red.

"Mr. Chen, thank you, thank you! Thank you for your trust in me! But I cannot accept this money unless there is a more suitable pretext."

Actually, these past two days, I've suddenly had a lot of questions on my mind that I can't figure out, and they're really bothering me. I really want to ask Mr. Chen for advice, but I'm afraid of bothering him. Just now, I unknowingly ended up here.

I only heard that Mr. Chen lives here, but I don't know which building exactly, so..."

Zhao Gang was already somewhat incoherent.

An Xiaohai checked his watch; it was 9:45, about four hours before Zhou Zhengguo and his team were to take action.

There should still be enough time. Let's resolve Zhao Gang's doubts first, otherwise he probably won't be able to sleep.

"Mr. Zhao, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. I happen to be free this morning, so why don't we take this opportunity to have a more in-depth conversation?"

"Okay! Then I'll ask!"

After I got back that day, the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Since Mr. Chen had already noticed that I was in an awkward situation, why did he still choose to cooperate with me?

Which part of our business has Mr. Chen taken a liking to? Moreover, Mr. Chen keeps asking me to give everyone bonuses, but he never mentions expanding production and sales, which makes me even more uncertain.

And I'm very worried... very worried..."

"You're worried I have ulterior motives and will eat up the entire Fuwang Grain and Oil company, right?"

Zhao Gang was taken aback, but after a brief but intense internal struggle, he sighed and nodded.

"Haha! Mr. Zhao has quite a few questions!" An Xiaohai said with a wry smile, "How about this, I'll explain my thoughts in detail, and if Mr. Zhao still has questions after listening, he can ask them separately, and I'll answer them one by one. How about that?"

"That's great! I've been wanting to know what President Chen is thinking. Otherwise, I have absolutely no idea what to expect!"

"What I'm thinking..." An Xiaohai lowered his head and sorted out his thoughts:

"First, my investment philosophy is to obtain the greatest output with the least input. Therefore, under normal circumstances, I will not choose to cooperate with companies that have very stable businesses and are operating very well;"

Such companies are usually not short of money, and even if they are, it's not a small amount. The more I invest, the greater the risk, and the more deeply I become tied to the company, which makes me increasingly passive.

At the same time, cooperating with companies that are in good shape means that I am going to get a slice of the pie. Since I am going to get a slice of the pie, they will definitely not be so welcoming. Even if they are, the price I have to pay will be very high.

For companies like Fuwang Grain & Oil, which are in dire straits or even on the verge of extinction, they can gain the greatest influence with minimal investment.

My collaboration with you isn't about dividing the cake, but about making the cake together.

The logic behind investing in startups is the same.

Secondly, I am very optimistic about the industry that Fuwang Grain and Oil is in. The grain and oil industry will never go out of style, which is very important. It means that if we manage it well, we will get long-term and very stable investment returns.

Third, Fuwang Grain and Oil already has a very wide sales network, and has been operating for a long time, which is also very important.

This means we no longer need to build a sales network from scratch, nor do we need to deal with the various troubles that arise from it. We only need to maintain, improve, and make good use of the existing sales network.

These are the three reasons why I'm most optimistic about Fuwang Grain & Oil. If there's a fourth reason, it's because of you, Mr. Zhao. Although I've only met Mr. Zhao two or three times, I greatly admire his character.

These are the reasons why I chose Fuwang Grain & Oil and why I chose Mr. Zhao.

Here's how I solve the problem:

I think the biggest problem with Fuwang Grain and Oil right now is that almost all of its employees have lost all hope for the company.

In this situation, everyone will only care about immediate benefits, and it will be very difficult for General Manager Zhao to arouse everyone's enthusiasm and confidence.

What's worse is that Mr. Zhao's foundation is not deep, he hasn't been in power for long, and he doesn't have any outstanding achievements to show for it. He can't even make empty promises, so people won't believe him.

Therefore, I think the first thing we need to do is win people's hearts and minds; and at this stage, the best way to win people's hearts and minds is nothing other than to give everyone money and let them see tangible benefits.

Mr. Zhao, do you think these employees will feel when they finally receive their long-overdue bonuses?

They'll be happy at first, and then they'll start thinking: they've followed the previous leaders and watched the company go downhill, getting worse and worse, and now even everyone's bonuses are being delayed.

But as soon as you took the stage, you immediately made up for everyone's losses. So, is there any hope of continuing to work with you?

As long as you can ignite a glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts, they will be more likely to support you in the future, and your orders will be carried out. After all, no one will turn down money.

If people don't trust you, no matter what instructions you give, everyone will only pay lip service to them, and nothing will get done.

That's why I kept emphasizing to you that you should send the money first.

"But if I give all that money away, what will I use to improve the product?"

"Mr. Zhao, in my opinion, as long as the product quality is excellent, other things are not that important, or at least not the top priority. I think you should focus more on the sales side."

The most important thing is that the product can be sold; if it can't be sold, producing more is useless.

You said you wanted to change the brand image of Fuwang Grain and Oil, and I think that's correct and very necessary.

However, brand image is not just about outer packaging; it encompasses a wide range of content and extensions. If Mr. Zhao believes that simply building a new production line and unifying the product image is enough to create a brand, he is sorely mistaken.

Building a brand is not something that can be done overnight, nor can it be done by simply changing the packaging. It requires long-term, substantial, and continuous investment.

Finally, I'll answer the question that Mr. Zhao is most concerned about: how exactly do I want to cooperate with you, and what are the contents of the cooperation?

Don't worry, I never had any designs on Fuwang Grain & Oil. What I was interested in was Fuwang Grain & Oil's sales network.

After we begin our collaboration, I will establish a new company that we jointly hold a controlling stake in, and develop a completely new product.

In this process, I only need to leverage Fuwang Grain & Oil's sales network and social connections; I will never have any designs on Fuwang Grain & Oil itself.

My investment in Fuwang Grain and Oil is simply to purchase its production qualifications, sales network, and social connections. I will not interfere in any of Fuwang Grain and Oil's internal affairs.

However, Mr. Zhao, you have to promise me that I can take one person with me from Fuwang Grain and Oil.

"Who?"

"It's you, Mr. Zhao. I think you're very suitable to be the general manager of the new company, and I think it won't be long before you happily accept the position."

"I...this...I..." Zhao Gang was completely at a loss for how to react.

"Mr. Zhao, believe me, the new company's general manager is your best choice."

As we cooperate, Fuwang Grain & Oil will naturally improve, and at that time, you probably won't be able to keep your current position.

We'll see. I'm waiting for you to be the general manager of our new company!

"Ah!..." Zhao Gang was dumbfounded.