Ye Tiancheng was currently thriving, with all his plans coming to fruition. This success had brought him immense satisfaction, as he was, in essence, relying solely on his own capabilities.
In the next moment, his mood became even more buoyant.
Li Le was very keen on forming a strategic partnership with Ye Tiancheng.
Li Le's ambition was to establish an incredibly powerful presence within the entire region's industrial chain. If he couldn't achieve his current goals, it would be tantamount to abandoning everything.
Ye Tiancheng was roughly strategizing in this manner.
Strategizing, in this context, meant plundering like a pirate once a method was found.
Those with ability plundered; those without were plundered.
This world was filled with cruelty. Those without ability quickly perished, while those with ability were like evergreen trees.
There was no other way, as such cruel events were frequently staged in this mortal world.
If you didn't want to live, you wouldn't face these constraints. If you wanted to live, you had to accept life's constraints.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng was someone who desperately wanted to live, and he didn't want to be constrained.
He believed that those who were constrained were weak. How could a strong person like him be constrained by others?
He had always been the one to constrain others; no one could constrain him. Therefore, his thoughts were incredibly overbearing, which would directly influence his inner self and his core being.
This was also a last resort, as Li Le was now almost out of options due to the difficulties encountered.
Since there were no other options, he could naturally be accepted by others.
"Then, shall we have a pleasant cooperation?" Li Le asked happily.
"Mr. Li... you are a man of considerable wealth, and I know you are very capable. But why do you only wish to open a shop?" Ye Tiancheng asked, expressing his confusion.
"Well, there's actually nothing much to it, it's just a very simple matter." The man actually started laughing, a sly, mischievous laugh.
To the onlookers of this era, such a sly, mischievous demeanor was truly incomprehensible.
"Since you've seen through it, I won't deny it. I am a wealthy man, but I hope to do business that aligns with your vision, which is to embrace tradition. A shop that can be passed down for a thousand or a hundred years is my ideal. The shop doesn't need to be large, but it must have a long heritage. Your pastries have a very ancient flavor, so we should look for shops with that ancient flavor, and methods that are close to ancient practices. I hope this method of pastry making is not lost to time and that there will be successors..."
Li Le's words shocked Ye Tiancheng. His words were like those of a kindred spirit, and he looked at Li Le with great surprise before asking, "Have you always had this idea, or did it just come to you suddenly? As a wealthy young master, with no worries about food or clothing, sometimes you might want to try something new, but after the trend passes, you'll stop doing it and grow tired of it."
"How is that possible? Do you think all those rich second-generation heirs in novels are useless lumps?"
"I didn't mean it that way. I'm just worried that you lack willpower and perseverance. Without willpower and perseverance, nothing can be achieved. Those with willpower and perseverance will succeed; that is a fundamental standard." Ye Tiancheng's words felt a bit jarring to Li Le. No one had dared to tell him something that went against his own thoughts, so he asked with a hint of nausea, "Then, what do you think of us rich second-generation heirs?"
"Rich second-generation heirs like you will naturally become targets. Because wealth is a sin, haven't you heard that saying? Those without money think you've stolen their wealth and harbor hatred towards you, which is also understandable. It's also natural to portray you negatively in novels. To gain something, one must pay something. Therefore, when the poor are jealous of you and label you as uncharitable, you must bear that..."
"After all this talk, you've completely strayed from the topic. I naturally know these things. I just want to ask you, how do you view us rich people?"
"Of course, it's for business, not for discussing these inexplicable things. What I've said is that your words must be followed through to the end; don't give up after two days. I will only provide the goods, while marketing and strategy will be your responsibility, Young Master Li." Clearly, Ye Tiancheng only wanted to be a hands-off manager, handing over the finished pastries daily, with Li Le responsible for marketing. He didn't want to bother with so many things. If one person tried to do too many things, they would lack the energy and time. Therefore, delegating some tasks was necessary. Ye Tiancheng maintained this idea because he didn't want to complicate matters; simplicity was the ultimate principle.
"You're thinking too optimistically. I also want to be a hands-off manager. Anyone who can take over this venture from me, I'll give it to them without hesitation."
"Then you and I think exactly alike; we don't want to manage things but want to earn money. This idea of getting something for nothing is truly a common human desire."
"That's natural. Who wouldn't want to get rich overnight without working for it? But such a thing is probably one in ten thousand, perhaps one in a million. The probability is too low. I don't want to do something with such a low probability," Li Le said, shaking his head. The elder nearby listened to their conversation as if watching gods battle. Despite his age, he couldn't understand their discussion. The elder shook his head helplessly and said to Ye Tiancheng, "If you two have finished your discussion, please sign the contract outside. It seems you haven't taken the previous contract seriously at all."
"The contract has already been signed, and I feel that everything is fine as it is. We've been talking so much nonsense because we want to understand each other. Only by understanding each other... can our cooperation continue," Ye Tiancheng explained.
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, the man chuckled, "Where are there so many ifs and buts in this world? All karma is self-created. Only by bravely accepting one's karma can one reveal their strength. All of this is merely the responsibility one needs to bear. Many people simply don't want to bear responsibility and only wish to gain without effort."
"Alright, alright, our conversation ends here for today. I will deliver the goods as scheduled tomorrow. I hope you can set up a shop today. Given your abilities and financial resources, I believe half a day should be enough."
The previous topic was truly excessive. Even a god couldn't create a shop in the ancient style in an afternoon. After all, current renovation styles are Western and high-end. To achieve an ancient architectural style, one would need designers and various talents. Thus, Li Le couldn't help but frown.
Seeing Li Le's expression, he chuckled wryly, "Why don't you pay a bit more, and I can help you with the renovation for free? I'm quite skilled in this area."
Li Le was surprised that Ye Tiancheng also knew about renovation, especially in an ancient style. He couldn't help but click his tongue.
Then, he asked in surprise, "Can you really handle it? How much more money do I need to pay to satisfy your requirements?"
"At least 500,000."
"Holy cow! Our contract is for 1 million for four shops. The renovation cost alone will practically double. If it's four shops, then 2 million is needed."
"You, a dignified young master, are quibbling with me over such a small amount..." Ye Tiancheng felt that he didn't act like a rich young master at all, but rather like a destitute beggar wandering the martial world. If he were truly a rich young master, he would wave his hand and inject hundreds of millions.
"There are many rich young masters like me. I've asked my father and know that earning money is not easy, so I've habitually learned to be thrifty," Li Le replied with a shrug and a helpless expression. Hearing his explanation, Ye Tiancheng decided to believe him for now and said, "I'll tentatively believe you, but I will absolutely not cooperate with you thoroughly because of this. Our cooperation is limited to the division of profits. If there are no profits, I might sabotage it."
Ye Tiancheng's words were like a naked threat, but this guy was accustomed to making such threats, and the other party could only accept it. After all, someone like him, who was mentally unbalanced and whose thinking was completely out of sync with others, might kick him away in a fit of pique if he became displeased. This was because Ye Tiancheng's ancient-style pastries were very marketable. In this world, he was probably the only one who could make them. Since others couldn't, and he could, it naturally meant they would be in short supply.
Others could only seek his guidance, while he didn't need to seek anyone else's. That's why he dared to be so presumptuous. Young Master Li's spirits plummeted upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's words. He hadn't expected this guy to have such a muddled logic and be so unreasonable at times.
Indeed, as Ye Tiancheng had predicted, his pastries could only be made by him, and no one else could make them. If Young Master Li was unwilling to cooperate with him, he wouldn't force it. At worst, he would just give up, and they could go their separate ways. What was so great about that? Therefore, Li only had to back down. He immediately changed his tune and said, "In that case, then I'll give you 3 million for the renovation of four shops. Is that acceptable? But you must be responsible for hiring employees and other staff. You can't take all the good things for yourself. I know you'll make at least a 50% profit from this 3 million. Someone as shrewd as you wouldn't get involved without at least half the profit."
"I didn't expect you to understand me so quickly." Ye Tiancheng didn't shy away from it because he was indeed in it for the money. If you want me to do it, then let me make money. Who would do something that doesn't make money? This world operates on profit. People don't just follow you because of a few words. You have to see the rabbit before you throw the hawk. This has always been Ye Tiancheng's practice, because profit, profit, where there is profit, there is benefit.
Sima Qian, the Grand Historian, once said, "The world is bustling, all for gain; the world is clamoring, all for profit."
Without the bond of profit, all relationships will disintegrate. Everyone is squeezing and attacking each other for profit. Therefore, profit has become an eternal thing. Only profit can become a strong bridge for human relationships. Without it, everything ceases to exist. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng was very clear; he was a practical person, unlike others who dealt inθθ¨ (empty words). He simply disliked virtual things and greatly preferred tangible things. He felt that tangible things were what he truly pursued.
Therefore, for Ye Tiancheng, as long as he could achieve these things, he would pay any price.
After speaking, Li Le transferred 3 million to Ye Tiancheng for him to renovate the shops. Of course, Ye Tiancheng also accepted the responsibility of managing the shops, with a 50% profit split each month.
Upon receiving the funds, Ye Tiancheng smiled slightly at Li Le and said, "Then it's happily settled. It will be a 55% split each month. I think for the four shops, one will be in the town, one in the city, one in the prefecture, and one in the province."
"I don't concern myself with these matters. You arrange everything. I'll just wait to collect the money. These shops are merely a matter of sentiment for me. My other businesses are not related to this; this is just a small undertaking." His implication was that it didn't matter if these shops made money or not; it was purely for sentimental reasons. He wondered what kind of sentiment this fellow had. Perhaps his family had been imperial chefs long ago, specializing in pastries, and since the craft was lost, seeing Ye Tiancheng make pineapple cakes made him want to witness it and spread this pastry throughout the world. If Ye Tiancheng succeeded, and his partner was Li Le, then it would naturally be considered a revival of the Li family's pastries, and their craft was not lost.
The following were all Ye Tiancheng's speculations, and whether they were true would require further verification. Of course, what Ye Tiancheng wanted to do now was not the distribution of profits, but to make others completely believe that these pastries were his.
Because he didn't want to make wedding dresses for others, he would never do such a thing. Therefore, a person like Ye Tiancheng was definitely a fox; it was impossible for others to deceive him. He was inherently suspicious, a trait honed by a long period of living in an environment of survival anxiety. He didn't trust the world or humanity, and he doubted everything. This distrust of everyone led to an unspoken rift between him and his partners.
However, he felt that this was not a problem, as it perfectly aligned with his interests. In this world, as long as there were profits, there would be conflict, deception, and evil, because everyone pursued maximum profit. When the pursuit of maximum profit involved harming others' interests to achieve their own, it had become commonplace, the unwritten rule of society. Therefore, as the old saying goes, the strong survive, and the weak perish.
If you cannot become strong, then there is only one outcome: to be devoured until not even a trace of bone remains. Therefore, he was very clear about the reasons for his actions; it was solely for the pursuit of maximum profit. Whether it would harm others or make them uncomfortable was irrelevant.
In Ye Tiancheng's eyes, as long as he could make money, that was good enough. Therefore, making money at all costs was his most basic idea. At this moment, the agricultural conference had concluded, and as he walked out of the venue, Su Muxian was standing at the entrance. Her car was an Audi A8.
The car was parked next to Ye Tiancheng's Great Wall pickup. The woman looked at Ye Tiancheng with a smiling face, implying that she had just helped him secure one hundred million, depositing it into his account for him to show off.
"Thank you for your help just now. I'll return it to you within a month."
"No need. This month, consider it my investment in you. I want 6% of your profits."
"Holy cow! That's so little, how can you look down on me? I think you're toying with me." The entire city was shocked. A 6% profit margin was very small, considering the profits that a few shops could generate.
"I'm not asking for 6% of the income from those few shops. I'm talking about the Longdan Xiegan Pill that is about to be released to the market. This medicine will definitely go global, reaching every person suffering from obesity. This medicine is very effective against cholesterol. Nowadays, people eat too much, leading to very high cholesterol levels. This medicine can clear cholesterol from the body and is very effective in prolonging life, so it will be popular as a health supplement."
"So you're after my Longdan Xiegan Pill. No wonder you helped me with the funds for a month. It seems your Su family has decided to become enemies with the Hou family." Ye Tiancheng said.
"You're thinking too much. This is a joint venture with you in my personal capacity, not in the name of my family. My family still doesn't want to become enemies with the Hou family. After all, the Hou family was once one of the four great families. If we provoke them, I don't know what underhanded tactics they might resort to. You know our family has always valued peace and harmony. Without any cultivators or martial artists, we are easily attacked by powerful individuals. The lingering shadow of the assassin has already made my grandfather stay at home all day, only staying within the house. Therefore, our family is very afraid of any mishap..." Su Muxian said.
Hearing Su Muxian's words, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but laugh, "So timid?"
"Do you think I'm like you, unafraid of anything?" Su Muxian retorted.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by that?" Ye Tiancheng was somewhat displeased, as he felt she was looking down on him.
"Alright, don't be like that. Our family is timid and afraid of trouble, and you're right!" Su Muxian was truly worried that Ye Tiancheng would get angry.
However, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't get angry. His intention was to joke, not what Su Muxian was thinking. This girl was overthinking things.
Su Muxian didn't realize that Ye Tiancheng was joking with her.
Su Muxian was insistent on investing with Ye Tiancheng, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't refuse her.
So he said, "Then you can be the general manager of my pharmaceutical factory."
"Aren't you worried about Hou Mingzhu getting jealous?"
"I've already cut ties with her. She's now a stray dog. How could she possibly care? The Hou family is already in turmoil. They might be like a broken-backed dog next." Ye Tiancheng said.
Su Muxian shook her head, "I recently heard that Hou Mingzhu has taken a liking to a wealthy man, injecting a significant amount of funds into the Hou family. The Hou family has come back to life."