Chen Feng wasn’t in a hurry, but the four shareholders that Wu Mengting contacted were quite anxious.
Dianchuang Culture Company is visibly going downhill step by step, operating in debt with little hope for improvement. These minor shareholders naturally want to cash out early to break even. Otherwise, if the company can’t sustain by the end of the year and goes bankrupt, they risk losing everything.
As early as the beginning of this year, these four minor shareholders wanted to transfer their shares to Liu Meijun, but unfortunately, Liu Meijun was not interested.
Therefore, during this period, they’ve been on a lookout for a white knight to take over, but nobody is foolish enough to take it. Anyone with a little investigation would know the current business situation of Dianchuang Culture Company, which has been non-profitable for three consecutive years, with increasing losses every year.
This means these shareholders haven’t received any dividends from the company for three years. If this continues, either the company will close down, or they will have to reinvest more money into it. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
Under such circumstances, no one would be willing to take over.
The more urgent they are to divest, the more desperate they become. Especially after Liu Meijun took control, the business situation hasn’t improved but even worsened, further solidifying their resolve to sell.
Thus, shortly after Wu Mengting contacted them by phone, and agreed to meet the next day, they kept calling her one after another, using various reasons to hope for a face-to-face meeting today to finalize the matter.
Wu Mengting reported this situation to Chen Feng. Chen Feng, who was at the zoo with Guo Mengyao and her daughter, refused outright without a second thought.
Although he was quite interested in becoming the second boss of the company he once worked for, he wasn’t in a hurry. If he could achieve it, that would be great. If not, there wouldn’t be any regrets.
Chen Feng regarded this matter quite calmly.
The shareholders, including Cao Kun, felt displeased when their request for an immediate meeting was refused. Yet, they had no choice but to wait patiently until the next day.
He met the four shareholders one after another on the morning of the next day, starting with the female wealthy shareholder who had the least shares. The meeting was arranged at a café near the Lakefront Villa around ten in the morning.
Chen Feng sat with Wu Mengting at one table, while Guo Mengyao and her mother sat at another. The counterpart came with two people, besides herself, there was a robust-looking female follower.
The female shareholder was about fifty years old, adorned with gold and silver, and properly maintained.
After a few brief pleasantries, they quickly got to the point. The female shareholder had only 3% of Dianchuang Culture Company’s shares, so the negotiation was quite straightforward.
The female shareholder offered a price of five million, which wasn’t extremely high, but based on previous evaluation reports, it certainly couldn’t be described as cheap.
Therefore, Chen Feng straightforwardly told her: "You probably don’t know me, but I used to work at Dianchuang Culture Company for seven to eight years, and I just resigned last year in the second half. So, I am very familiar with Dianchuang Culture Company. Honestly, if I hadn’t made a little fortune, plus having some sentimental ties to Dianchuang Culture Company, I would have very little interest because this deal could very likely result in a complete loss.
I had a professional asset evaluation company conduct an assessment, and now the market value of Dianchuang Culture Company is less than a hundred million yuan, with the most valuable asset being the current office floor’s remaining lease of more than two years, valued at over twenty million yuan. If this continues, operations might be suspended in the second half of this year since it has been operating at a loss."
The female shareholder frowned and asked: "So how much are you planning to offer? If it’s too low, I won’t agree."
"Three million, based on a hundred million yuan company valuation. If you agree, I’ll immediately get a lawyer to sign the contract with you. If not, then forget it."
The female shareholder stared at him for a while and then said: "Can you give me some time? I’d like to consult someone."
"Alright. I’ll give you one day; reply to me by this time tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll take it as a refusal."
"Okay. Let’s leave it there then."
The female shareholder readily stood up and left after saying that.
Next, Chen Feng met two other shareholders owning a 7% stake each at the same café. He offered a straightforward deal based on the company’s valuation, and neither of them agreed immediately, expressing they needed to consider it and would get back to him later.
The last to arrive was Cao Kun. Upon seeing Chen Feng, he was stunned for a while before composing himself and sitting down opposite him.
"Seeing you again, I’ve learned not to judge people based on past impressions, Chen Feng. If I didn’t know your character and style, I’d definitely suspect you were toying with me. I never thought that an ordinary employee who used to work here would now be buying the company’s shares. You’ve really made a fortune, huh."
Cao Kun, having been a company president, had a composure that was hard for ordinary people to match.
Chen Feng smiled slightly and said: "It’s true, I’ve come into some money. Otherwise, I couldn’t afford to buy your company’s shares. Let me offer you a friendship price, two million."
Cao Kun was initially composed, but upon hearing Chen Feng’s offer, he broke character, glaring angrily at Chen Feng.
"I said two million. This is for helping me keep Yan Jun in jail a few extra years. Otherwise, considering our previous relationship, do you think I would willingly be your white knight? You’re well aware of the company’s situation, being made a complete mess by you and your people, rotted from the inside out. Without someone stepping in for a major overhaul, it may not even make it through the year without closing down. No one is willing to take over apart from me."
Cao Kun knew well that Chen Feng was speaking the truth. Dianchuang Culture Company had deteriorated under his control, and despite Liu Meijun’s ambitious reforms and reorganizations, they had achieved little.
At this rate, according to Cao Kun’s estimation, the company might barely make it until the year’s end, facing bankruptcy after New Year’s.
Cao Kun quickly calmed his internal anger and, with a composed face, questioned: "I heard from the other shareholders that you offered them significantly higher prices. Calculating one hundred thousand per percentage. They can’t all be lying to me, right?"
Chen Feng candidly replied: "They didn’t lie to you. I can offer one hundred thousand per percent to them, but absolutely not to you. You know the reason; for your 5% shares, I’m only offering two million. Take it or leave it."
This was outright bullying!
Cao Kun clenched his fists, grinding his teeth angrily. Yet, seeing Chen Feng’s calm demeanor and the stunning woman sitting next to him, it was clear Chen Feng had truly risen in success, and he might not be someone Cao Kun could easily provoke now.
"Fine! I’ll go back and think about it. Goodbye!"
Cao Kun practically growled this through his teeth before standing up and leaving rapidly, lest his temper get the better of him if he stayed any longer.
Being humiliated in such a manner by a former subordinate whom he had personally suppressed and dismissed for two to three years was a severe blow to his self-esteem.
It truly echoed the saying, fortunes change over time.
After Cao Kun left, Wu Mengting curiously asked: "Do you have a grudge with this person?"
Chen Feng nodded and replied: "Sort of. But only in the context of professional rivalry."
"What exactly happened?" Guo Mengyao, from the neighboring table, leaned over curiously to inquire.
Chen Feng explained simply: "Previously, after joining the company, I was favored by the president and groomed as a successor. At that time, this guy was the vice president and had conflicts with the president. Later, the president who favored me suddenly fell ill and left, and this guy took over and kept suppressing me. Such situations are typical in the workplace. Saying there was a grudge is fair, but I’ve also come to terms with it now. It’s just that, given the chance encounter, I naturally wouldn’t make it easy for him."