Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Collaboration

“Your injury has mostly healed, right? Don’t want to stir up any more trouble for Sangtian?”

Zhao Fan’s question hung in the air, and Shi Wenxuan fell silent.

After a few minutes, he showed a hint of helplessness. “How could I not want to? But look at me now — rebuilding the company is difficult.”

Rebuilding a company requires money and manpower. At present, Shi Wenxuan lacked both. As the saying goes, even the most skilled housewife cannot cook without rice. As a lone commander, Shi Wenxuan needed to be capable enough to sustain the company single-handedly.

He sighed deeply and said no more.

Zhao Fan shook his head. “You’re overthinking. Money and people are not the problem. You have connections and resources. Rising again is only a matter of time.”

“Money and manpower are the hurdles I can’t overcome.”

“I’ll invest.”

Shi Wenxuan was stunned, then suddenly stood up. “Are you serious?”

Zhao Fan shrugged, “You can take it as a joke if you want.”

“Ahem, don’t be so brief. So, how exactly do you plan to invest?”

“That depends on what you need, and what I have. Money is not an issue.”

With Feiteng’s current scale, supporting a company with an established foundation was no problem at all. Zhao Fan spoke calmly, without any pretense.

Shi Wenxuan’s eyes flickered slightly. He knew Zhao Fan’s company was profitable, but he had never imagined it was this lucrative.

“If I’m not mistaken, President Zhao, you have several projects and funds available?”

“Whether or not I do is my decision alone. All you need to know is this: will you accept or not?”

Shi Wenxuan fell silent, torn between agreement and refusal.

If he agreed, funding wouldn’t be a problem. If he refused, his comeback would take much longer.

More importantly, he still had several ongoing projects. If he abandoned them now, the penalties would be significant.

“You can invest, but you can’t interfere with the company’s operations. As long as you agree, I have no objections,” Zhao Fan said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “If you want me to manage things, I’d be more than happy to.”

Sitting back and collecting money was the best scenario. What he sought was the future reputation and profits of Sangtian.

Of course, there was no need to mention this, so Zhao Fan shifted the conversation to the cooperation contract.

Neither of them was one to stall. After some discussion, they settled on a decision and drafted the contract on the spot.

“By the day after tomorrow at the latest, I will notify you to come to the company.”

“No problem.”

With the matter settled, the atmosphere between them softened considerably.

After putting away the contract, Zhao Fan didn’t linger. He left promptly.

Currently, the company’s income came mainly from several software products and the supermarket. The funds Zhao Fan was using were still from the proceeds of auctioning the Song Ying porcelain wind chime.

But no matter how much money he had, it couldn’t withstand too much upheaval. Zhao Fan did some quick calculations and suddenly realized he had less than twenty million left in hand.

Mobile phone R&D, game development, marketing for various software, plus today’s expenses for Sangtian...

Zhao Fan was speechless.

He was done for—the financial chain was on the verge of collapse.

Rubbing his temples, Zhao Fan decided to head to the company and have the finance department run the numbers. He needed a clear picture of the financial situation.

Because of his request, the finance department worked overtime for two full days before providing the detailed results Zhao Fan needed.

“Here’s last month’s financial report, and the latest one is here. After deductions...”

The accounts were clear and precise. Zhao Fan looked at the final balance of five million with a twinge of melancholy.

He had thought he was earning enough, but in reality, this sum was barely sufficient.

He sighed and said, “Send out the notice — we’re meeting first thing tomorrow morning.”

Out of the five million in the company’s account, at least one million would need to go to Shi Wenxuan. The rest, combined with what Zhao Fan had personally, could not be touched.

Jiang Ying’s mobile phone project and the internal game development both demanded sufficient funding. Once products were ready, marketing would also require resources.

It was necessary to establish a concrete plan. At the very least, all adjustments must be foolproof.

The next morning, Zhao Fan laid all the cards on the table.

“The current problem is that the scope is too broad and funds are insufficient. We must make adjustments in certain areas to ensure a smooth financial chain.”

In other words, balance was needed.

“What are your thoughts?”

The senior executives exchanged glances and, after discussion, shared their ideas.

Zhao Fan summarized quickly and extracted what he needed.

“Alright, we’ll proceed based on today’s conclusions. If there are details to iron out, we’ll meet again.”

“Understood.”

After wrapping up this matter, Zhao Fan proposed expanding the supermarkets.

“Yangcheng isn’t big, but it’s not small either. Two Feiteng supermarkets aren’t enough. I’m thinking of opening two more, then expanding beyond this area. What do you all think?”

“President Zhao, about the funding…”

“Funding isn’t really an issue for now. Opening another supermarket means more revenue. Our company needs projects that bring in substantial income.”

In the future, the mobile phone and game projects could become major profit sources, but not yet. Currently, both were still in the expense stage, nowhere near as profitable as the supermarkets.

Afterward, the group discussed site selection and store decoration before entrusting the matter to one of the managers, An Jinhua.

An Jinhua was a middle-aged man with a simple, trustworthy appearance. He had joined the company six months ago, primarily handling external affairs. His abilities were formidable, somewhat at odds with his plain looks.

Zhao Fan had interacted with him and understood his character.

An Jinhua was capable but had one glaring weakness: he was devoted to his family.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with that, but An Jinhua was the type who would willingly sacrifice opportunities to stay home. He opposed business trips.

Fortunately, Zhao Fan didn’t mind this. As long as An Jinhua could keep things stable, others could handle travel.

“From now on, the supermarket line is yours to manage. Pick capable people to assist you. If there are any issues, come directly to me.”

An Jinhua nodded. “Understood.”

The meeting ended, departments dispersed, and Zhao Fan stood, ready to take a walk.

At that moment, his phone vibrated. The caller ID read Yang Yuqing.

“Hello, wha—”

“Zhao Fan, I want to eat cake.”

Hmm?

Zhao Fan narrowed his eyes. What kind of statement was that? Had something happened to Yang Yuqing?

“Zhao Fan?”

A voice called on the other end. Zhao Fan snapped back to reality and casually asked, “Here. Strawberry cake?”

“Yes, strawberry cake. After buying it, send it to the Entrepreneurship Park. Is that okay?”

Zhao Fan was speechless.

Entrepreneurship Park? What kind of place was that?

Rubbing his forehead, Zhao Fan’s tone remained calm, betraying no emotion. “Don’t worry, no problem.”

After hanging up, Zhao Fan immediately summoned his secretary to inquire about the Entrepreneurship Park.

“Entrepreneurship Park? You mean the one over in North City?”