Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 572 - 383: Hot Money Flood (Part 2)

After pondering for a few seconds, he sighed and truthfully explained to Song Zhenhai, "President Song, I’m sorry, I do intend to collaborate with you, but I have ties with Shanghai..."

Song Zhenhai, after listening, was silent for a moment, then laughed heartily, "Thank you, President Qi, for being so honest with me. If you eventually choose Shanghai, then I can have a talk with Old Huang. After all, Shanghai and Jiangsu are so close, it’s not unreasonable to let him share a bit of the soup."

Qi Yun didn’t expect the other party to adjust his mindset so quickly; indeed, he hadn’t misjudged him.

"Haha, I have no objection on my side, President Song can go ahead and negotiate with Shanghai."

"Alright, alright, thank you, President Qi. Then I won’t disturb your work, and you’re always welcome to Jiangsu."

After some polite exchanges, the two ended the call.

Qi Yun sat back down on the sofa and dialed Huang Zhiqiang’s private number to inform him of the final decision.

After hearing it, Huang Zhiqiang sounded very joyful, "Great! Thank you, Little Qi!"

"Some things are inconvenient to discuss over the phone; we’ll talk in detail when you come to Shanghai."

Qi Yun nodded with a smile, "Alright, see you in Shanghai then."

...

In the state of Washington, within a mansion overlooking Puget Sound.

Harris was sitting opposite a bald man around the age of sixty.

The bald man’s name was Bezos, who once appeared on the cover of the American magazine "Time" and was named Person of the Year—a figure watched by the United States and the world.

"Mr. Bezos, it’s an honor to meet you." Harris greeted him with great respect; although he had never collaborated with this business tycoon before, he pulled many strings to arrange this meeting.

Bezos, holding a cigar, looked very imposing: "Deron said you have something priceless you want to sell me. Let me see what it is."

Harris nodded, took out an exquisite wooden box from his pocket, opened it, and pushed it in front of Bezos.

Inside the wooden box was the Eight-footed Jade Hook from the Japanese imperial palace.

"Mr. Bezos, I heard you are fond of Japanese culture, so I specially sought this out for you. Please have a look."

Bezos put down his cigar and picked up the Eight-footed Jade Hook, examining it for a full ten seconds. Even he, accustomed to rare collectibles, couldn’t hide the amazement in his eyes.

"This is the Eight-footed Jade Hook?"

"That’s right, Mr. Bezos," Harris smiled, "this is indeed one of the three sacred treasures of Japan—the Eight-footed Jade Hook."

After scrutinizing it for a long time, Bezos finally placed the Jade Pendant back in the box and looked up at Harris, "How did this come into your possession?"

Harris shook his head gently, "I’m sorry, Mr. Bezos, I can’t disclose its specific origin."

"You also understand that the circulation process of such high-level collectibles is always quite complicated."

Bezos took a deep look at him but did not press further. He picked up his cigar again, leaned back on the soft sofa, and said indifferently, "Name your price."

Harris didn’t hesitate, immediately holding up his hand: "500 million USD."

Hearing this offer, Bezos didn’t even blink; he scrutinized Harris and suddenly burst into a soft laugh.

"Haha, I can accept this price, but there is a condition."

This stirred Harris slightly, but he maintained his composure, "Please speak, Mr. Bezos!"

Bezos leaned slightly forward, flicking the ash in the ashtray indifferently, "I’m very curious about its origin."

Harris, hearing this, immediately looked troubled and declined without thinking, "Mr. Bezos, I’m very sorry!"

"You know that for us intermediaries, our most important asset is our reputation. My client does not want their identity revealed, so I can only assure you of the authenticity of the Eight-footed Jade Hook; I really cannot disclose anything else."

Bezos stared at Harris for a full half-minute before suddenly laughing again, "Haha, well! You are indeed an excellent middleman."

"I’ll take this Jade Pendant, and I have another business proposition for you."

...

Elsewhere, Qi Yun made a round at the company and found that there wasn’t much needing his attention; except for providing financial support, the company operated the same with or without him...

Qi Yun was happy to have some leisure, carrying the water quality inspection report from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and headed to the Jiangsu branch of Farmer Three Punch.

In the realm of drinking water, this company is unquestionably the big brother in China. From bottled water to jugs, its distribution network is wider than even the postal service; you can see those iconic red packages even on the shelves of remote village shops.

Moreover, they also have water sources in Jiangsu, though located in the Tianshan Mountains, the quality doesn’t compare to the one Qi Yun found.

The reason for initially approaching Farmer Three Punch for collaboration was due to a special investigation by Xie Mengmeng.

In the past couple of years, they have been searching for high-quality water sources to break the stereotype of mid-to-low-end bottled water by launching a high-end mineral water line targeting international brands.

Unfortunately, such qualifying water sources are not easy to come by, and acquisition would cost a fortune, so after much effort, they were still empty-handed.

This water source precisely meets their demand.

The Maybach came off the highway and parked temporarily by the roadside. After just a couple of minutes, President Bi opened the car door and sat in.

"Wow, you’ve really upgraded your arsenal, huh?"

As soon as he got into the car, President Bi looked around the latest top-spec Maybach and teased.

Qi Yun grinned, "If you like it, I’ll give it to you?"

"No thanks!" President Bi quickly waved it off, jokingly adding, "I can’t handle your license plate number."

After a few idle remarks, they got back to business.

"Why is your business so diversified now? Even getting involved in sourcing water?" President Bi asked in amazement, looking at the water quality inspection report, "You’re making all the money for yourself these days..."

Qi Yun ignored his teasing and asked after he finished looking through it, "I’m planning to sell the location of this water source to them. What do you think the reasonable price should be?"

He wasn’t entirely sure about the value of this water source, which is why he enlisted President Bi’s help to analyze it.

President Bi frowned, thought for a moment, and answered, "According to your report, the water quality of this source surpasses all products on the market, making it a scarce resource."

"I remember last year Hua Run acquired a far inferior site for 380 million, but neither its quality nor output can compare to yours."

"That much!?" Qi Yun clicked his tongue, realizing his initial estimate of possibly two or three hundred million might be way off the mark.

"That’s right," President Bi nodded, paused briefly, and asked curiously, "but why do you want to sell it? This is a veritable golden goose."

Qi Yun rubbed his chin, contemplating the matter himself.

Initially, he wanted to sell because he was low on cash and needed more liquidity to support his health supplement and gaming companies. Plus, his upcoming photovoltaic company would require a substantial investment, placing considerable pressure on his finances.

However, the situation was different now; De Gaulle just provided five billion euros, equating to nearly 4 billion RMB, so he no longer needed to worry about funds.

Thus, even though he didn’t have the capability to produce and sell, partnering with Farmer Three Punch via equity investment could also be an excellent option.

They have the brand and channel, allowing him to profit through dividends, making it more worthwhile in the long run than a one-time sale.

"Hmm, let’s see their attitude first; if cooperation is possible, that’s naturally best."

President Bi, hearing this, laughed and leaned back in his seat, "That’s the spirit. I’m telling you, this is worth more than our diamond mine; you’ve truly found a treasure this time."

"If they’re not sincere, you can deal with other companies, or if worse comes to worst, do it yourself! With your current status, President Qi, which channel couldn’t you open?"

Qi Yun glared at him teasingly, speaking in a sinister tone, "Why do I feel like you’re trying to flatter me to death?"