Zhang Tianxing and Li Honghong discussed further. Li Honghong cursed with a smile.
"I've never seen anyone play the game as well as you, kid. You went to all lengths to get the shares from me, and without a moment's hesitation, you wanted to mortgage them to the bank. I'm truly impressed. Alright, if you need it, just ask me. I'll cooperate with the bank to handle the procedures."
After hanging up the phone, Li Honghong shook his head. This young man had a plan and was ruthless. He realized he had underestimated Zhang Tianxing.
It was no wonder that only two people from his technical team were willing to join Bai Du. It seemed Zhang Tianxing had some real skills. Even if Zhang Tianxing wasn't a technical expert or a top-tier talent, he possessed a unique personal charisma.
Fortunately, Zhang Tianxing agreed to let them have the core patents. Otherwise, Li Honghong would have a real headache. Despite his absolute confidence in his team, defeating Zhang Tianxing's team wouldn't be easy.
Li Honghong was willing to use money to solve problems that could be resolved with money. Time was precious, and time was precisely what Bai Du lacked.
Eat first, starve later.
Li Honghong had seen enough regrets from being a step too late.
Now that he had the timing, the location, and the people on his side, Li Honghong felt a surge of exhilaration. "Search engine, here I come! An era of absolute dominance is about to dawn."
Zhang Tianxing, don't think you're safe just because you hold ten percent of the shares. In the next round of financing, I'll be diluting the equity. If you have enough money, you can hold onto your ten percent.
If you don't have the cash, don't blame me for kicking you off the bus. If you don't have money, stay out of the capital game.
...
Huang Yuanshan was in a good mood. He suddenly remembered what Douzian had mentioned earlier and quickly summoned him.
"Zi Jian, don't worry about the electronics factory building anymore. I've already sold it for 9.5 million."
"That's impossible!" Douzian exclaimed, losing his composure. "The location isn't great. They've been saying that the center of Zhonghai City is shifting towards Huangpu, so property prices on the Bund have been falling. 9.5 million? Whoever bought it is an idiot."
"Alright, you don't need to worry about this. And you don't need to worry about whether they're an idiot or not. When the time comes, the records will need to be clear, so no matter how you look at it, selling the electronics factory building for 9.5 million is our best option."
Huang Yuanshan firmly settled the matter. A weight was lifted from his mind. Now, his performance evaluation would be fine.
If he could push a little harder, he might even be able to reach for a position at that bank.
It seemed Zhang Tianxing had helped him immensely this time. Sometimes, the difference between success and failure could be as little as 500,000. Having that extra 500,000 would lead to a completely different outcome.
Douzian left Huang Yuanshan's office seething. He hadn't expected Zhang Tianxing to be so wealthy, that he could actually come up with 9.5 million.
He'd mark this down in his little black book for now. They'd settle this score later.
With the cooperation of Li Honghong and Huang Yuanshan, Zhang Tianxing and Yan Ruyu obtained the keys to the electronics factory building within a week.
Zhang Tianxing and Yan Ruyu drove there, gazing at the twenty-one-story building.
Both of them were incredibly excited. Yan Ruyu was happy for a long time before suddenly realizing something.
"Wait a minute, Zhang Tianxing, you tricked me! Even though we bought this building, I just realized it has nothing to do with me. You see, the mortgage is on Bai Du's shares, your shares, and I have no part in it. And the one million, that was all your personal money, so I'm not involved either. It turns out I've just been working for nothing."
As she spoke, Yan Ruyu felt a pang of sadness. Zhang Tianxing's assets were doubling at an incredible pace. She had been collaborating with him for so long, still training employees, and her crayfish hotpot restaurant hadn't even opened yet.
Two of her four existing stores had temporarily closed for renovations, preparing to open alongside the crayfish hotpot.
Zhang Tianxing planned to open four stores simultaneously in Zhonghai City. In addition to Yan Ruyu's two stores, there were two new locations.
It could be said that Zhang Tianxing personally chose the sites. The rent for one of them made Yan Ruyu's jaw drop. She couldn't believe Zhang Tianxing signed the lease without a second thought, agreeing to a five-year term.
Yan Ruyu couldn't quite understand. The location was good, but the rent was not cheap. Signing for five years at once? He clearly had too much money.
However, after seeing the renovation design Zhang Tianxing had created, Yan Ruyu was absolutely stunned.
The opening day was fast approaching, and Zhang Tianxing had already prepared a promotional plan.
Whether they would succeed and feast or go home hungry depended on this. Even though he had found success with crayfish, Zhang Tianxing still felt uncertain.
The main reason was that his business philosophy differed from current restaurants.
In Yan Ruyu's view, Zhang Tianxing was focusing more on service than on the quality of the dishes.
To this, Zhang Tianxing explained, "We have strict regulations here. As long as they are followed diligently, we won't make mistakes. If we don't make mistakes, we can stay in business. In the catering industry, as long as we avoid errors, we have a chance."
That was the reality. Everyone wanted to make delicious food, but the chefs you hired might not have that level of skill. So, Zhang Tianxing compromised. He wasn't asking for excellence, but he demanded that they avoid mistakes. Their skill level had to be above average.
Good work would be rewarded, merits would be acknowledged, and faults would be punished.
Zhang Tianxing believed there were no bad employees, only bad companies. He would build employee responsibility through corporate culture.
He would prove their efforts with their salaries and tell them of their rewards with their paychecks.
Here, as long as you put in the effort and demand strictness from yourself, you would earn a valuable job, giving you an edge when you moved on, where money spoke.
Yan Ruyu was astounded by the salary structure Zhang Tianxing had set. The salaries were thirty percent higher than in other catering industries.
"If that's the case, how will our employee salaries be managed? If you pay them so high, how will we make money? We need to find ways to reduce costs. The labor costs are too high. We'll basically be working for the landlords and employees," Yan Ruyu voiced her opposition.
Zhang Tianxing listened and pondered for a moment. "How about this, Sister Yu? Let's implement it as is for now. If we lose money, it will all be on me. Whatever you lose, I'll cover it, and we'll sign a new agreement. If we make money, we must strictly adhere to the regulations."
"Wouldn't that be too rigid? And with such demands, wouldn't the waitstaff be too tired?" Yan Ruyu expressed doubt. The intention was good, but execution would be difficult.
"Why the high salaries? Because our standards are high. Those who come here are the cream of the crop, capable of anything. They can achieve even more here."
For an industry to succeed, it boils down to high standards and strict requirements. If you can force others to follow your pace, then you have succeeded.