Take a bite of pudding

Chapter 118 The Birth of the Jiangnan Council

"President Huang, our President Qu graduated from St. Martin's College. At only 20 years old, she already held her own fashion show in Britain. Later, President Qu visited Dunhuang and became captivated by traditional Chinese attire. However, upon returning to China, she discovered that very few people knew about our own traditional clothing!"

"So, President Qu founded this company with the ambition to make traditional Chinese attire popular in China again!" Qu Wei's assistant said proudly, her face full of admiration, clearly a fan of Qu Wei.

"I see!" Huang He finally understood why the company name was so peculiar. It turned out the CEO of this company had started it specifically to produce Hanfu.

If "Liú Shāng Qǔ Shuǐ Cǎi Wēi Shí" (流觞曲水采薇时) had been established in 2021, its name alone might have made all Hanfu vendors irrelevant. But in 2001... such a nascent venture.

The issue was that Hanfu had no market at this time. The immense capital and labor required for manufacturing Hanfu had dragged down the business of other, more viable apparel, leading this clothing company, with what was possibly the most traditional Chinese-sounding factory name in history, into such dire straits.

"If President Qu had started this company twenty years later, I believe her dream would surely have been realized!" Huang He sighed. "Unfortunately, our country does not yet have such a market. The revival of Hanfu isn't just about someone doing it; it requires a cultural and market revival!"

"Culturally, it's about re-cultivating the public's recognition, understanding, and love for Hanfu. Market revival means everyone needs to have money. After all, Hanfu outfits, which can easily cost over a thousand yuan, are not something many people can afford."

"I know all this too! Then let's wait another twenty years!" Qu Wei sighed deeply, as if giving up on something. "Since Mr. Huang has said so, I will also give up. There are a total of 400,000 sets of various clothing here. If Mr. Huang is interested, you can take it all for 500,000. This money will be enough for me to pay my workers and buy a plane ticket back to Britain."

"However, I will return in 20 years, and I will definitely succeed then!" Qu Wei said calmly, but her determination could be heard in her words.

"500,000 for 400,000 sets of clothes? I'm practically robbing you!" Huang He laughed heartily. Honestly, this was a great deal. 400,000 sets of clothes meant 400,000 clothing blind boxes, generating 4 million yuan in revenue – an eightfold profit. It couldn't be better.

But Huang He didn't want to do it this way. This was a one-off deal, and he didn't want a one-off deal.

"President Qu, I'll take all the clothes here, but not for 500,000!" Huang He said with a smile.

"President Huang, I've already lost this much, and you still want to lower the price!" Qu Wei said indignantly. This man wasn't the Monkey King arriving on a colorful cloud, but a Bull Demon King!

"Hey, President Qu, hear me out. I'll take all these clothes, but not at the price of 500,000. Instead, I'll pay the original price you quoted earlier!" Huang He said.

"The original price!" Qu Wei was taken aback. "If we calculate at the original price, that's 1 million yuan in merchandise. You're willing to pay double the money? Are you really willing to do something so foolish?"

"And, you want my Hanfu as well?"

"Of course. Actually, your Hanfu is what I truly value. After all, if I search the entire country, I doubt I'll find another company capable of mass-producing Hanfu like yours!" Huang He nodded sincerely.

He had been somewhat lost about what to put as the top-tier hidden reward in the clothing blind boxes. Now he knew: it would be Hanfu. Such magnificent Hanfu deserved to be the ultimate hidden reward in the clothing blind boxes.

"However, I have a condition!" Huang He's tone shifted.

"What do you want?" Qu Wei suddenly clutched her chest, looking at the man cautiously.

"...You misunderstand. You're not that attractive," Huang He rolled his eyes. "What I mean is, you cannot return to Britain, nor can you close down 'Liú Shāng Qǔ Shuǐ Cǎi Wēi Shí'. On the contrary, I hope you will continue to operate it."

"It's not that I don't want to operate it, but as you said, my Hanfu has no market. I can't find buyers, and I don't want to just make ordinary clothes. What's the difference between that and other ordinary garment factories then!" Qu Wei, despite her dire situation, maintained a proud tone.

"I'll buy it!" Huang He smiled slightly, revealing his teeth. "We can sign an agreement. As long as your products meet our company's quality and product requirements, all our company's apparel procurement needs can be sourced from your company."

"Conservatively speaking, that's several million pieces of clothing demand annually, which should be enough to keep your factory afloat!"

"However, in exchange, I want to acquire shares in your company through this agreement. This means, without spending a single cent, I will obtain a 40% stake in your company based solely on this exclusive procurement agreement. Furthermore, Miss Qu Wei, you will join Jiangnan Group and become a member of the Jiangnan Group's board of directors, fully cooperating with the strategic development needs of Jiangnan Group."

"In this way, our two companies can be considered family."

"What? You want 40% of our shares without spending a single cent!" Qu Wei was shocked. "Please, you can't be this greedy, not even when robbing a bank!"

"I told you, I'm investing through an agreement. How about this: the agreement can stipulate a minimum of 5 million sets of clothing procurement annually. If the requirements are not met, I will automatically return the 40% shares to you." Huang He said.

"A minimum of 5 million sets!" Qu Wei began to waver. With a procurement order of 5 million sets, her company could ensure stable cash flow and no longer worry about unsold inventory.

However, this would mean being completely tied to the Jiangnan Group's chariot. If it ever flipped, would she flip with it?

"Among those 5 million sets of procurement, at least 1,000 sets must be Hanfu!" Qu Wei demanded.

"5,000 sets!" Huang He waved his hand. "A drop rate of 1 in 5,000 for a rare item is too stingy. Customers will curse us to death. A 1 in 1,000 drop rate is much better. We can't be too cruel to our customers!"

"Okay!" Qu Wei's lips twitched slightly, but she agreed. That same day, she signed the contract with Jiangnan Group, becoming the second member of the Jiangnan Council, a mysterious organization that would later become legendary.

The first member, of course, was Boss Huang himself.

Tonight, there are ten more updates.