198: Is this a legitimate investment?
Ye Zhiqiu works in the e-commerce industry.
She is currently employed at an e-commerce platform specializing in niche, high-end women's fashion.
Initially, the company was thriving, but after gaining some recognition, several investors entered the scene, and the company became chaotic.
With different demands from various investors, the company had almost no stable strategy.
Executives resorted to all sorts of unscrupulous tactics in their pursuit of an IPO to raise funds.
In Ye Zhiqiu's view, this company was doomed to fail sooner or later.
Of course, the company was destined to fail, but those investors and executives would definitely manage to take the company public before its demise.
They would make a quick buck and run, earning a fortune, leaving only the retail investors in the stock market and the company's employees to suffer.
Therefore, Ye Zhiqiu had always wanted to jump ship.
She even wanted to go solo rather than just switch jobs.
Because in the years since she graduated and started working, she had mastered all the experience of building a platform company, and even had some connections in the upstream and downstream supply chains.
As long as she had money, she could immediately create a platform.
However, in the current environment, money was the hardest thing to get.
With the economic downturn, many investors had become very conservative.
And the increasingly wealthy capital would simply not invest in a newcomer like her, who had no reputation.
So, Ye Zhiqiu could only endure.
When Bai Shanshan told her that Zhang Bo was very rich and might invest, Ye Zhiqiu was actually very tempted.
But she was relatively clear-headed and rational.
Moreover, she genuinely considered Bai Shanshan her older sister, so her first priority was to help Bai Shanshan determine if Zhang Bo was a fraud.
Now, Ye Zhiqiu had made her judgment.
Zhang Bo was most likely not a fraud.
So, if he wasn't a fraud, he was a rich man.
It's just... Ye Zhiqiu felt that investing wasn't that simple.
She had no reputation and wasn't a corporate executive.
It would be difficult for others to trust her.
Even if Zhang Bo was Bai Shanshan's man, her brother-in-law, would he invest in her because of that?
The hope was extremely slim.
Ye Zhiqiu had a little hope in her heart, but not much.
And just as she was feeling nervous, Zhang Bo, who was beside her, took Bai Shanshan on a good tour of the courtyard.
Bai Shanshan was very satisfied.
Ultimately, she wasn't looking to do business.
She just wanted to find a beautiful place to rest during her pregnancy.
It was just that being alone was too boring, so she wanted something to do.
"Uh... I see you've bought all the equipment, and there's tea and dried fruit inside. I'll go make some tea for you, you two can chat outside for a bit first."
Seeing how attentive Zhang Bo was to her, Bai Shanshan became even more enthusiastic about setting him up with Ye Zhiqiu.
However, she didn't know how to bring it up.
So, she thought of creating some alone time for Zhang Bo and Ye Zhiqiu first.
"Can you make it?" Zhang Bo asked.
"Of course, I used to go to other tea houses to make tea," Bai Shanshan said with a smile.
"Sister Shan, you're not comfortable, I'll go instead," Ye Zhiqiu quickly stood up.
She felt that she wasn't familiar with Zhang Bo, and if Bai Shanshan left her here alone with him, it would be quite awkward.
"I'm not that uncomfortable yet, sit down. Keep him company for me. Remember, have a good chat!" Bai Shanshan winked at Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu felt that this remark was strange, but she didn't think much of it, only believing that Bai Shanshan meant for her to have a good conversation with Zhang Bo to secure an investment.
"Okay, okay then."
Hearing this, she sat down. Although she felt that hope was slim, since things had come to this, she might as well chat first.
"Sister, brother-in-law..."
After Ye Zhiqiu sat down, she looked at Zhang Bo opposite her, thought for a moment, and addressed him intimately.
She and Bai Shanshan were like sisters, so calling him brother-in-law was not wrong.
Zhang Bo was a little surprised.
No, was this that exciting?
Bai Shanshan had already told him that she wanted to introduce her best friend to him as a lover.
He thought that Bai Shanshan had already told Ye Zhiqiu.
And now, Ye Zhiqiu directly called him brother-in-law, which truly startled Zhang Bo.
To be honest, although Ye Zhiqiu was quite pretty, he had seen and experienced a lot, so he wasn't particularly smitten.
But Ye Zhiqiu's "brother-in-law" now really made his blood boil.
"Hey."
Zhang Bo blinked and responded to the address.
If a young girl was so open-minded, then he, a grown man, couldn't be insensitive, could he?
Hearing Zhang Bo's response, Ye Zhiqiu breathed a sigh of relief.
At least their relationship was closer; whether an investment would come or not, it wouldn't be as awkward.
"Brother-in-law, Sister Shan said your business is quite big. I still don't know what industry you're in?" Ye Zhiqiu didn't directly bring up the investment, but started with some small talk.
"Currently, I'm in the building materials business, importing timber from Russia and selling it domestically."
Zhang Bo calmly said, "However, I don't have sales channels in China yet, so I'm planning to acquire a domestic building materials company during this time. That way, the upstream and downstream supply chain will be connected."
Hearing this, Ye Zhiqiu was quite surprised.
In this day and age, it was already very difficult to do well in business domestically.
Doing international business was even more extraordinary.
Importing timber from Russia, acquiring a domestic building materials company... these two things all pointed to the same fact.
That was, Zhang Bo had substantial power.
And... this shouldn't even be his main business. He only said he was currently in the building materials business, so it's possible he had other businesses... Ye Zhiqiu couldn't help but think of Zhang Bo as very mysterious.
But in fact, Zhang Bo was quite honest.
He didn't lie once, nor did he deliberately show off.
He didn't even mention that the Logging Farm in Russia was his... Next, Ye Zhiqiu asked a few more questions, and Zhang Bo and she conversed back and forth. He also learned that she worked at an internet e-commerce platform.
Bai Shanshan had also told Zhang Bo before that Ye Zhiqiu always wanted to start her own business.
So, Zhang Bo naturally assumed that Ye Zhiqiu's condition was for him to invest in her.
Thus, after chatting for a while and becoming less unfamiliar, Zhang Bo got straight to the point, "Zhiqiu, if you were to start a business now, how much would you need for the first round of investment?"
"Ah, huh?"
Ye Zhiqiu was having a normal conversation when she suddenly heard Zhang Bo say this, and she was instantly shocked.
No, she hadn't even brought it up yet, so why did Zhang Bo mention it first?
Could it be that her brother-in-law saw at a glance that she was actually a genius at entrepreneurship?
However, this was ultimately a good thing.
With a joyful expression, Ye Zhiqiu's lips curved upwards as she said, "Initially, three million would be enough. I could set up the company and fully develop the platform. But later, promoting the platform would require a lot more money. At that point, at least tens of millions would be needed, and external financing would also be necessary."
"Okay, I'll invest three million for you in a few days. Additionally, I'll give you one hundred thousand every month. If you can have my child, starting from the pregnancy, I'll give you another one hundred thousand every month..."
Zhang Bo heard that the investment amount wasn't large, and he would soon have more cash coming in, so he agreed.
As for the one hundred thousand a month, he didn't know if Bai Shanshan had told Ye Zhiqiu, but it was the rule, so he repeated it.
And Ye Zhiqiu, who had been getting happier and happier, didn't expect the investment issue to be resolved so quickly.
But as she listened, she started to feel that something was off.
Having... having a child?
Was this a legitimate investment?