Ying Jianren had been in business for over 20 years and had seen his share of ups and downs.
But to be honest, this was the first time he had discussed a business deal, worth hundreds of millions, with someone of his "son's" generation.
The intelligence seemed wrong.
He originally thought Shanchi Technology, which possessed the production qualifications, was just an extra, and a little incentive would suffice.
But now it seemed this group was led by this excessively young boss of Shanchi Technology?
Was it any wonder he was seeing things? Or had the world changed too fast for him to keep up?
Admittedly, some people, due to their special status, would have their age overlooked and their opinions heard.
But business was business, especially a business as massive as the automotive industry chain, which could even seriously impact a city.
This was about cars, not some insignificant small business.
Feeling that the intelligence was flawed, Ying Jianren exchanged glances with his brother-in-law, then decisively abandoned the idea of starting negotiations that morning.
He led the group on a tour of the Zhongtai factory district, introducing the facilities while also giving his mind a chance to clear.
"Mr. Tan, have you been to Yongkang before?"
Ying Jianren chatted with Tan Jincheng as they toured the factory.
"I haven't been here before, but I've been to Hengdian and Yiwu. My girlfriend is from Yiwu, so I guess there's a bit of a connection with Yongkang?"
Tan Jincheng smiled.
Hengdian, Yiwu, and Yongkang all belong to the Ham City metropolitan area.
However, talking about such a "connection" might work with Ying Jianren's generation, but if you told younger people, they'd probably mock it.
The fragmented nature of Ham City is no less than that of Su Province.
Yiwu people always say they are from Yiwu when they go out, and Yongkang people are the same.
"Haha, is that so? Then there really is a bit of a connection. If there's an opportunity, Mr. Tan, you can bring your girlfriend to Yongkang as our guest. We will surely treat you well."
"Then thank you, Mr. Ying, in advance. I'll certainly bother you if the opportunity arises,"
Tan Jincheng replied with a smile, while looking around the car factory.
Ying Jianren noticed that the atmosphere of the negotiation team seemed a bit different, so he personally began to host Tan Jincheng, while Wu Jianzhong was still responsible for explaining things to the people from the district.
Having both the actual controller and the actual manager receive guests simultaneously showed significant importance.
"Mr. Tan, what do you think of our factory?"
Ying Jianren asked with a hint of pride, seeing Tan Jincheng looking around.
It was vastly different from the factories BYD, Tesla, and others showed in their live streams online in later generations! But such a disheartening comment naturally couldn't be spoken.
"I don't know much about the automotive industry, but the factory area is so large it looks spectacular. Also, the equipment looks very advanced. Mr. Ying must have spent a lot of money, right?"
Ying Jianren said proudly,
"That's right, this is a production line we acquired with a huge investment. Almost all my assets are tied up in it."
"Mr. Ying has a grand vision!"
Tan Jincheng said, giving a thumbs up.
These words weren't entirely flattery.
Domestic private entrepreneurs who dared to stake all their assets on building cars, especially in the gasoline car market dominated by foreign brands, were at least worthy of respect now, regardless of how things turned out in the end.
Although their initial intentions included making money and achieving fame, they indeed pushed forward the progress of domestic automobile brands.
To a large extent, the progress of domestic new energy vehicles is inseparable from the continuous efforts of this generation.
Perhaps some of them eventually forgot their original intentions, but their early pioneering spirit is commendable.
For example, Ying Jianren himself had assets worth tens of billions, and Tieniu Group had a reverse merger listing in 2003.
He could have enjoyed endless prestige, yet he was still willing to invest all his assets into the car manufacturing business.
Car manufacturing at that time was not the same as what those who later adopted internet thinking for new energy vehicles did.
Internet-thinking car manufacturing used investors' money; profit or loss, or even bankruptcy, did not affect the founders' lives.
However, car manufacturing now was different.
Funds were either self-raised or borrowed from banks.
Every penny required the founder to bear the risk, and a single misstep could lead to bankruptcy and total loss of wealth.
"Mr. Tan, you're young and accomplished, and you've managed to acquire car production qualifications. You must also have thoughts of building cars, right?"
Ying Jianren probed.
"I've thought about it, but it's just a thought. I don't have the capability to build cars yet. As for the car production qualifications, that was just a coincidence. Mr. Ying should have noticed from my accent that I'm not from Beicang."
"I know that, but what do you mean by coincidence? Can you explain?"
"I'm from Yicheng. Last year, when I went home for the New Year, Yicheng happened to be in a hurry to dispose of Andaer's assets. Then, through various twists and turns, they found me. We negotiated, and eventually I acquired it. So, it was a coincidence."
Ying Jianren was stunned:
"There was such a thing? They found you directly during the New Year?"
It's only been a little over a month since the New Year, or two months at most.
He completed the acquisition and renaming in less than two months.
I visited so many companies and didn't have this efficiency.
Is his background that deep?
But it doesn't make sense.
If his background in his hometown was that deep, shouldn't the cooperation be in the name of his hometown?
Why Beicang District?
"That's just how it is. I thought it was quite strange at the time, how an electric vehicle assembly plant like mine would be approached,"
Tan Jincheng said, spreading his hands.
"So, how much did Mr. Tan spend? Can you tell me? Don't worry, even if you didn't spend a single penny, that's your ability, and it won't affect our cooperation this time."
"There's nothing to hide. In terms of cash, I probably spent around 30 million on various things. In addition, my friend and I each invested in a factory in our county; my friend's is a clothing factory, and I also have some shares in it."
Ying Jianren nodded.
So that's how it was.
It seemed Yicheng was attracting investment by giving up its car qualifications.
This made sense.
Although electric vehicles and clothing couldn't compare to automobiles, they were both labor-intensive industries that could solve many local employment problems.
Car manufacturing wasn't that easy.
Since the 1990s, major cities across the country enthusiastically pursued car manufacturing, but only a few cities actually succeeded.
Yicheng might have chosen to give up for this reason.
What's more, Anhui Province now had two major brands, Jianghuai and Chery, and the province might not have the capacity to support a third brand.
The price of 30 million yuan was fair; not too much, not too little.
If resold, there would still be a premium, probably between 30% and 60%.
It seemed that this young Mr. Tan also saw this premium and chose to cooperate with his hometown because it was profitable.
The reason he quickly approached them was probably also this.
Earning tens of millions in a short period – even he would be willing to do such a deal.
What people fear most is making assumptions based on asymmetrical information.
Ying Jianren was an old businessman, and precisely because he was an old businessman, he would piece together the entire transaction's rationality and both parties' interests from a few words.
He had experience dealing with local governments and knew what they wanted: nothing more than taxes and employment, and some other things.
For example, Tan Jincheng's statement about spending around 30 million on various things was interpreted by him as: it wasn't openly 30 million, but that much was spent.
Tan Jincheng's interests were also inferred by him as wanting to make a larger profit margin.
As for investing and building factories in his hometown, it was probably due to hometown connections and not wanting to lose face; without the car production qualifications, he might not have been able to avoid this.
A business deal became reasonable in Ying Jianren's mind, but in reality, Tan Jincheng acquiring Andaer really was just a coincidence, and 30 million yuan was merely a number he made up.
That old fellow Xu Xueming dared to negotiate with people for 800,000 yuan, who knows what he was thinking.
If Ying Jianren knew, he would probably be so angry he'd spit blood, right?
This was the erroneous thinking caused by information asymmetry.
"I didn't expect Mr. Tan to also have a clothing business, that's truly impressive. The clothing industry is quite profitable these days."
"Just a small side venture. I previously partnered with a friend to set up a foreign trade company. To cut costs for our small operation, we thought about opening our own factory. This way, we could save a bit on OEM fees and reduce some constraints."
Speaking of which, Zhang Xupeng had been in France for some time now.
The inspection progress was quite good, and GXG was also interested in cooperating.
All that remained was to see if the price and details could be agreed upon.
Zhang Xupeng didn't go alone this time; he also paid a high price to hire two lawyers to accompany him.
One was very knowledgeable about contracts, and the other was very knowledgeable about international trade law.
Tan Jincheng found these for him.
When doing business with foreigners, the biggest fear is that they tamper with the contract, and if you get scammed, you really won't even be able to cry.
"That's true. Integrated production and sales are a long-term business. A foreign trade company, to put it bluntly, is just a shell company, and there will only be more and more in the future. Once a clothing factory matures, it can handle foreign trade itself. Mr. Tan's idea is correct."
"Just a small venture, earning a little money, can't compare to Mr. Ying."
"It's me who can't compare to Mr. Tan. You've built such a big business at such a young age. When I was 20, I was still blacksmithing. Speaking of which, my child is about the same age as Mr. Tan, and amounts to nothing."
"That's not necessarily true. Your child has a rich father, my father was just an ordinary worker, so I can only work hard. How does that saying go? What bosses in Jiangzhe fear most is their descendants wanting to prove themselves and start their own businesses."
Ying Jianren looked bewildered:
"Is there such a saying? Why haven't I heard of it?"
Yes, but it's more than a decade later, so it's normal you haven't heard of it.
In reality, the second-generation rich are not as useless as portrayed online.
From what Tan Jincheng knew in his two lives, most of the second-generation rich in the Jiangzhe area are quite down-to-earth.
After graduation, capable ones either start small businesses or take over family businesses, and many honestly work in factory workshops.
Those who don't want to take over family businesses choose to take civil service exams and enter the system, leading relatively normal lifestyles without much extravagance.
"I'm just joking. Different starting points, and luck plays a part too. I just got lucky."
"Luck is one aspect, but it mainly depends on ability. Shanchi's electric vehicles sell so well and were last year's dark horse, so it's definitely not just luck. I believe in Mr. Tan's capabilities; otherwise, the production qualifications that I couldn't secure after a long time wouldn't have been so easily obtained by Mr. Tan."
"You can't say that either. Spending tens of millions and having to build a factory is quite painful, so I'm hoping to 'beg for some alms' from Mr. Ying."
"No problem, no problem, let's cooperate with each other."
I'm just afraid you won't say anything.
(End of Chapter)