12dz Chapter 647 Time Waits for No One
Chapter 647 Time Waits for No One
The next morning, three black Santana sedans slowly drove into the factory gate.
The car door opened, and six men in suits stepped out.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties with slicked-back hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and a Rolex watch on his wrist that gleamed in the sunlight.
Behind him was a young man in his thirties with an arrogant expression on his face.
"Mr. Zhang, this is it." The young man pointed to the factory buildings and said, "It looks quite large, and the equipment seems pretty complete."
The middle-aged man, addressed as General Manager Zhang, nodded, his gaze sweeping across the factory. "Assistant Zhao, you're right. A factory of this size, if acquired at a reasonable price, can be resold for several times the profit."
This Mr. Zhang is named Zhang Zhihua, and he is the owner of an investment company in the provincial capital.
On the surface, he appears to be doing legitimate business, but in reality, he specializes in acquiring distressed companies and then reselling them at low prices to overseas buyers. He is ruthless and has a keen eye for business; over the years, he has acquired more than a dozen companies.
The young assistant next to him, Zhao Jianwei, was Zhang Zhihua's right-hand man, responsible for the initial intelligence gathering and negotiation work.
“Mr. Zhang, according to our investigation, this factory has a very good reputation in the industry, and its product quality is also good,” Zhao Jianwei said in a low voice. “If it weren’t for the cash flow problems, they definitely wouldn’t be considering selling it.”
Zhang Zhihua sneered, "The kind of factory it is, the easier it is to acquire. The owner has emotional attachments and is unwilling to sell at a low price, so we'll wait until he can't hold on any longer before making our move. At that point, it won't be them setting the price, but us deciding."
As they were talking, Wang Ergou came out to greet them.
"You gentlemen are from Huasheng Investment Company, right?" Wang Ergou forced a smile. "I'm Wang Ergou, the deputy factory manager. Boss Li is waiting for you in his office."
Zhang Zhihua sized up Wang Ergou, secretly pleased with himself. This deputy factory director looked like he came from a peasant background; he should be easy to fool.
"Deputy Factory Director Wang, I've heard so much about you." Zhang Zhihua extended his hand. "I'm Zhang Zhihua from Huasheng Investment. I heard your factory has been facing some difficulties lately?"
"Not at all, just some minor issues," Wang Ergou said, feigning nonchalance. "Please come with me, Boss Li is waiting."
The group arrived at the office building. Li Xiangyang's office door was open, and he was standing by the window looking into the distance, his back view appearing somewhat desolate.
Hearing footsteps, Li Xiangyang turned around. His face looked haggard, and his eyes showed exhaustion, as if the difficulties of the past few days had tormented him.
"You must be friends from Huasheng Investment?" Li Xiangyang forced a smile. "Please sit down, please sit down. Xiao Wang, pour some tea for our guests."
Zhang Zhihua glanced around the office, noticing the banners and certificates of merit hanging on the wall and the thick stack of documents on the desk. These details told him that this was indeed a powerful and reputable factory.
“Mr. Li, let’s get straight to the point.” After sitting down, Zhang Zhihua went straight to the point. “I heard your factory has recently encountered some financial difficulties. Our Huasheng Investment specializes in corporate acquisitions and might be able to help you solve your problems.”
Li Xiangyang sighed, "Mr. Zhang is right, we've indeed encountered some difficulties. We originally thought the cooperation with Hualian would stabilize, but they suddenly changed their minds. The bank loan is also delayed, and things are really becoming unsustainable."
"So what are Mr. Li's plans?" Zhao Jianwei interjected.
"To be honest, I don't know what to do either," Li Xiangyang shook his head. "I built this factory from scratch; it's like my own child. I wouldn't have considered selling it if I hadn't been absolutely desperate."
Zhang Zhihua was secretly delighted; it seemed that Li Xiangyang had indeed been driven to a dead end.
“Mr. Li, I understand how you feel,” Zhang Zhihua said, feigning sympathy. “But the business world is like a battlefield; sometimes you have to be ruthless to save more.”
“You’re right.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “Then what does President Zhang mean?”
Zhang Zhihua and Zhao Jianwei exchanged a glance, then Zhang said, "We need to understand the factory's specific situation first. For example, its fixed assets, annual output value, number of employees, debt situation, and so on."
Wang Ergou took out a document from the drawer: "This is a basic introduction to the factory. Please take a look."
Zhang Zhihua took the documents and quickly flipped through them. The page stated that the factory covered an area of fifty acres, had two production lines, an annual output value of eight million, 120 employees, and fixed assets worth six million.
"Looks like a fairly large operation." Zhang Zhihua put down the documents. "So, what's Mr. Li's target price?"
Li Xiangyang hesitated for a moment: "This factory initially cost over four million yuan to build, and later received substantial additional investment for renovations and upgrades. Based on current market prices, it should be worth at least seven or eight million."
Zhao Jianwei almost burst out laughing. Seven or eight million? Their budget was only one million.
“Mr. Li, your price is probably a bit unrealistic,” Zhang Zhihua shook his head. “You know the current market situation; the agricultural product processing industry is highly competitive with meager profits. Moreover, your factory is currently facing financial difficulties and customer loss, all of which will affect the valuation.”
"So, what does Mr. Zhang mean?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"Based on our preliminary assessment, 1.5 million is the highest price we can accept," Zhang Zhihua stated, quoting a shocking figure.
The office fell silent instantly, and Li Xiangyang's face turned ashen.
"One and a half million?" Li Xiangyang practically gritted his teeth as he uttered those words. "Mr. Zhang, this isn't an acquisition, this is robbery!"
“Mr. Li, please calm down,” Zhang Zhihua said unhurriedly. “That’s how business acquisitions work; the price is determined based on the actual situation. Your cash flow is currently broken, banks aren’t lending, and you’re losing customers. Under these circumstances, it’s already quite good that someone is willing to take over.”
Wang Ergou clenched his fists. If they weren't acting, he really wanted to punch Zhang Zhihua in the face.
“Furthermore,” Zhao Jianwei added, “we will retain all employees’ jobs after the acquisition, which is also a contribution to society. If the factory closes down, more than a hundred employees will lose their jobs, and the losses will be even greater.”
Li Xiangyang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Mr. Zhang, I cannot accept a price of 1.5 million. I need time to think about it."
“Of course, we understand your feelings.” Zhang Zhihua stood up. “However, Mr. Li, time waits for no one. Every day you delay, the factory’s value decreases. Our quote is only valid for three days.”