kvmb 115. Determined to win
115. Determined to win
As dusk settles and night falls, the once bustling Bund of Shanghai bursts into vibrant allure, displaying a captivating charm that allows one to temporarily forget their troubles.
Several dozen days later, Zhou Hongyi came to the Paramount again.
"Young Master Zhou, Director Zhou, you've finally remembered that there's a Maggie Cheung at the Paramount Ballroom."
Like a resentful woman, Manyu leaned against the bar with her limp, snake-like body, tapped on the table, and asked the bartender for two drinks.
Zhou Hongyi said with a wry smile, "Miss Manyu, I believe you have heard some news. I had too many things to deal with recently, and I almost lost my life. How could I have had time to come here to relax? As soon as I had some free time, I came here."
Manyu handed a glass of wine to Zhou Hongyi, and said angrily, "Young Master Zhou, you're lying. I don't deny that you're busy, but it's absolutely impossible for you to say you don't have time. If you don't have time, why can you spend it with Princess Elizabeth? You have time when you're with her, but you don't have time to come see me, Manyu. Young Master Zhou, you're not fair!"
Zhou Hongyi broke out in a sweat and hurriedly said, "This... what are you talking about? Manyu, no matter what, you have indirectly helped me. I, Zhou Hongyi, always repay kindness. Look at that huge bouquet of flowers backstage, that was sent by me. And your singing voice is still as captivating as ever."
"Is it just that her singing voice is captivating?"
Manyu deliberately leaned her upper body forward, getting closer to Zhou Hongyi, making the latter quite uncomfortable.
"Of course, her singing is captivating, and so is she."
“Charming? Young Master Zhou, you’re lying again. If I, Manyu, were truly that charming, you wouldn’t only come once in so long. In the end, I’m still not as charming as that noble Princess Elizabeth. Youth is indeed an advantage. I admit I lost to her this time, but when it comes to my deep affection for Young Master Zhou, I, Manyu, am second to none.”
Zhou Hongyi didn't expect that Manyu would care so much about him. At first, he thought that she was just deliberately flirting with him to show off her charm, but he didn't expect that she would actually take him seriously.
Just as Zhou Hongyi was about to say something, he saw Chen Xiaodao waving at him from the steps leading to the second floor.
Zhou Hongyi put down his wine glass and said, "Miss Manyu, please excuse me for a moment. I'll come down to see you later."
As he spoke, he quickly walked towards Chen Xiaodao's direction. The two talked in hushed tones, then headed straight for the second floor and disappeared around the corner.
Manyu had intended to lean on Zhou Hongyi, but the young master turned and left without looking back, making her bite her lip and stomp her foot in anger. When she turned around, she found the bartender behind the counter looking at her with a strange expression.
"What are you looking at? Don't you have anything better to do? Believe me or not, I'll transfer you to clean toilets!"
The bartender lowered his head, suppressing a laugh, and hurried off to work, while Manyu wrinkled her nose and whispered complaints about Zhou Hongyi's lack of romantic understanding.
Led by Chen Xiaodao, Zhou Hongyi arrived at the innermost private room on the second floor. The door opened, and Liu Yaqiao, the boss of the Axe Gang, was there. Sitting next to him were a man and a woman, whose demeanor and status indicated they were either rich or noble. The woman, in particular, wore accessories that were clearly priceless, and not only priceless, but also antique.
As soon as Zhou Hongyi entered, Liu Yaqiao, acting as an intermediary, introduced him: "Hongyi, let me introduce you. These are Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng, the two largest shareholders of Paramount. Ms. Ye owns 50% of the shares, and Mr. Zheng owns 30%, so the two of them can make the decisions."
Zhou Hongyi looked at the woman, who appeared to be in her forties. She had a dignified posture and, although she was sitting, her upper body was ramrod straight. Her hands were neatly placed on her knees, and her face wore a polite yet unobtrusive smile. Combined with her priceless jewelry, everything about her exuded a noble status.
Zhou Hongyi guessed that this Ms. Ye was not actually surnamed Ye, but Yehenara. She was the largest shareholder of Paramount and the daughter of a former official. Now that the Qing Dynasty had long since perished, those former officials and their descendants could still squander their ancestral assets for a while, but if they were targeted by powerful figures, they would be nothing more than lambs to the slaughter, powerless to resist.
For example, the reason Zhou Hongyi chose the Paramount Ballroom among the many establishments in Shanghai was because its owner didn't have absolute power, making it the easiest to acquire. The fact that Liu Yaqiao quickly arranged a meeting with them also suggests that Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng probably already anticipated their fate.
"Hello, bosses. My name is Zhou Hongyi, courtesy name Zhongliang. I am very pleased that you can take the time out of your busy schedules to meet me."
After Zhou Hongyi shook hands with the two men, he sat down opposite them. Chen Xiaodao very consciously withdrew and closed and locked the door.
As the middleman, Liu Yaqiao got straight to the point: "I have just explained your demands to the two bosses. Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng mean to add another 20%."
Zhou Hongyi wanted to acquire the Paramount Ballroom, offering Liu Yaqiao 200,000 silver dollars. He knew this price was practically robbery, because according to his calculations, the Paramount Ballroom had invested 700,000 taels of silver in 1932, which would be equivalent to 980,000 silver dollars today. After so many years, even with depreciation, they still had profits. Conservatively, the Paramount Ballroom's annual net profit was over 500,000 silver dollars, yet he wanted to buy 80% of their shares for 200,000 silver dollars. What was this if not robbery?
However, Ms. Ye is very aware of her own situation and has a clear understanding of it. In fact, she had already planned to transfer her assets abroad several years ago. After all, with the country engulfed in war, the situation of people like her, the remnants of the former dynasty, is even more awkward. Everyone wants to take advantage of her. If she stays here, no matter how much wealth she has, it will be looted sooner or later. It would be better to take advantage of her current influence and hide far away, and live a quiet life as a wealthy man in her later years.
Zhou Hongyi had simply quoted a price of 200,000 silver dollars, waiting for the other party to negotiate, as business is a two-way street. He hadn't expected Ms. Ye to ask for another 20%. What did that mean? Was it adding 20% to the 200,000 silver dollars? What was the point? Of course, Zhou Hongyi wasn't naive enough to think that the other party was just asking for 20% more than the 200,000, so he smiled and asked, "Ms. Ye, Mr. Zheng, this 20%... is a bit too much."
Zhou Hongyi's negotiation standard is to reject whatever the other party asks for first, and never agree readily.
As expected, after Zhou Hongyi finished speaking, Ms. Ye pursed her lips and said, "Boss Zhou, or Director Zhou, I know that your methods are very powerful and your influence is growing. This time you were able to find Chief Liu to act as an intermediary, so I already guessed that you are determined to take over our Paramount."
To be honest, Paramount's annual revenue is quite considerable, but being sandwiched between many powerful gangs makes business difficult, and being swallowed up is only a matter of time; we are mentally prepared for that. However, Mr. Zhou, my addition of 20% is really not much, while with Paramount, you can go all out and make a big splash. I believe that under your management, it will only earn more than before.
I listen to Mr. Zhou's songs every day, and they're absolutely amazing. Moreover, our Miss Maggie Cheung seems to have a crush on you. Mr. Zhou, you only need to give up a mere 20% to smoothly take over the Paramount and win the beauty's heart. You'll probably wake up laughing in your sleep tonight.