Chapter 233 - 233 Connections Are Useful, There Was One At The Door
233 Connections Are Useful, There Was One At The Door
Cui Kun pressed against the wall and listened to the voices in the office beside him with mixed feelings.
During the negotiation process, Luo Feng could be said to be unmoved by force or persuasion, as if he did not care if Zishan invested in him or not. What Cui Kun did not understand was that Zishan did not seem to mind facing such an arrogant entrepreneur.
Not only did he not mind, but the tougher Luo Feng’s attitude was, the softer Chairman Xiong’s attitude became, and he kept increasing the price of his investment. He seemed to be very eager to invest in Luo Feng’s company.
This unbelievable conversation reminded Cui Kun of himself.
He had begged many friends and spent a lot of money to smooth things over in order to meet the Chairman of Zishan Corporation once.
He was quite proud before coming here. He felt that being able to see Chairman Xiong meant that his entrepreneurship was valuable and had a future. Many people would not be able to squeeze through Zishan’s door even if they racked their brains.
Now that he heard the conversation in the office, Cui Kun finally understood what it meant that there was always someone better.
He was at a loss…
So there would be a day when investors would lower their stances…
This situation reminded him of his university days.
At that time, he was still a humble bootlicker. His heart was the softest place for his goddess. He squeezed out a portion of his limited monthly living expenses to buy snacks and breakfast for his goddess.
He knew that one day, Cui Kun had unintentionally discovered that his goddess was asking about the most handsome boy in the faculty and took the initiative to give him meticulous care.
Cui Kun was enlightened. So his goddess was also a bootlicker to others.
Now that he heard the conversation in the office beside him, this familiar feeling returned. However, the goddess had become Zishan and Luo Feng had become that handsome man.
Only Cui Kun was still the lowest-level bootlicker he used to be.
It made him feel very uncomfortable.
…
Luo Feng and Chairman Xiong’s negotiation lasted until past four in the afternoon.
Sometimes, it was really difficult to play Tai Chi with smart people.
Luo Feng stopped while he was ahead. Gather Sift Takeaway had just started and its valuation was not too high after all. Zishan had used 40 million yuan to buy 20% of Luo Feng’s shares, so the valuation of Gather Sift Takeaway was 200 million yuan. It was double that of Are You Hungry!
This way, Luo Feng actually had much fewer shares than Xie Yan’s team.
Now, Xie Yan’s team held 49% of the shares, which was almost half. Luo Feng still had 31% left. If he sold a portion, he would still be the largest shareholder. Zishan had 20% of the shares.
In order to facilitate this cooperation, Zishan agreed to a few more requests from Luo Feng.
Firstly, of course, it was the connections and resources that Luo Feng cared about the most. The related cooperation was also because Zishan was pulling strings.
Secondly, Luo Feng also held Zishan’s shares on behalf of them. This meant that the right to vote would be handed over to Luo Feng. This was to ensure Luo Feng’s control over Gather Sift Takeaway.
Luo Feng was not worried about Xie Yan playing him out.
There was no need to worry about rushing out of the declaration of gratitude before sending it.
Most importantly, he did not want Zishan to interfere in the development of Gather Sift Takeaway. This was also the reason why he rejected Yan Kaize’s investment in Good Me. Doing business was like driving a big ship. Having a helmsman was enough.
Luo Feng was very determined even though Zishan was a little unwilling. Their willingness to invest was stronger than Luo Feng’s willingness to accept the investment.
Both sides argued for a long time. In the end, Chairman Xiong was the first to compromise.
After the cooperation was finalized, the tense atmosphere between the two sides disappeared.
Luo Feng was the first to express his goodwill. “Chairman Xiong, I’m sorry. I offended you just now. How about this? It’s getting late. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Chairman Xiong and Ji Yang also smiled.
“It’s fine. We’re doing business. But Chairman Luo, we’ve invested a lot in your company this time. The reputation I’ve accumulated over half my life is entrusted to you.” Chairman Xiong sighed.
The cost of investing in Gather Sift Takeaway was much higher than he had estimated. He was still a little confused. If not for the development blueprint that Luo Feng mentioned at the end that moved him, he might really have chosen to give up on the cooperation.
He was indeed taking a risk to a certain extent.
“Let’s go.” Ji Yang walked to the door and opened it.
A man with a long face and thick documents in his hand stood outside the door.
Cui Kun was also anxious from waiting, so he simply walked from the reception room to the door and waited. He had heard that they were preparing to get off work for dinner just now. He was really in despair.
Chairman Xiong only remembered that he had an appointment with another entrepreneur in the afternoon after seeing him.
He thought that he would be able to take down Luo Feng, a university student, in two hours at most. He did not expect that after spending the entire afternoon with him he was so focused that he completely forgot that there was a guest waiting.
It was rude to stand someone up whether they invest or not in the end. Chairman Xiong could only smile awkwardly.
Cui Kun did not dare to complain openly. He could only look at Luo Feng resentfully, like a scumbag who had hooked his goddess when he was studying.
Luo Feng was at a loss. He looked down at his clothes and touched his face. There seemed to be nothing that strangers should hate about him. His shoulder suddenly sank.
Chairman Xiong slapped his thigh and smiled. “Chairman Luo, didn’t you say that you were looking for an algorithm expert? There’s one here right now!”
“Huh?” Luo Feng looked at Cui Kun.
Cui Kun was also confused.
What? Not only did he fail to get an investment, he was also going to be given away? Bootlickers have dignity too, okay!
However, Cui Kun had a favor to ask of Zishan and could not express his displeasure too much, just like how Cui Kun could not refuse his goddess back then. He stood obediently at the side and listened to Chairman Xiong.
He made up his mind. If he could have the investment, he could endure being forcefully arranged jobs. Otherwise… he would have a backbone!
“Perfect. Chairman Luo, let me introduce you. This is Cui Kun, graduated with a Ph.D. from the Computer Faculty at Boston University. He’s considered my junior.” Chairman Xiong was still very enthusiastic.
He studied abroad in his early years and studied for a master’s degree at Boston University. It was at school that he got to know the then Chairman of Zishan Global. After graduation, he successfully joined the company.
Chairman Xiong had many precious memories of his alma mater. He had even established a scholarship for his alma mater after graduation, so he valued his alumni from the same school.
Cui Kun being able to enter his line of sight was also partly because of his alumni status.
However, Luo Feng was not affected. He had a pair of discerning eyes. He did not look at backgrounds or famous schools, but Cui Kun in front of him did interest him.
The investment potential on Cui Kun’s head was indeed not in vain for Chairman Xiong’s special introduction.
“There’s nothing to fault about my junior’s skills. He worked at Google in Country A for a few years and became a department supervisor. Many large companies extended an olive branch to him after he returned.” Chairman Xiong knew Cui Kun quite well. “However, he had the heart to start a business, so he came out to do it alone.”