The woman in red placed the cup of milk I had served her between her hands, turning it slowly. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she was thinking about something, further confirming that her visit to me was not solely about the matter of “Kongchengli.” I did not interrupt her, merely picking up the glass of plain water in front of me and sipping it slowly.
Finally, the woman in red placed the milk cup down and said to me, “A few days ago, I had quite a lengthy conversation with CEO Mi.”
“I know. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have known about the transfer plans for Kongchengli.”
Nodding, the woman in red continued, “What we discussed most was the current crisis that Zhuo Mei is facing. It seems now that ZH Investment from Weiran will eventually withdraw its investment from Zhuo Mei. The negative external commentary has already affected Zhuo Mei’s IPO; the situation is quite bleak.”
My mood grew heavy, and after a while, I asked, “Have you reached an agreement with Mi Cai?”
“She hopes I can take over the 20% stake in Zhuomei currently held by Weiran under the name of Tianyang Group…”
“What do you personally think?”
The woman in red sighed and said, “You must understand, our Tianyang Group is not a united front. Especially after I forcibly acquired the nearly bankrupt Seaview Coffee, internal doubts have grown increasingly louder. Even An Zhongzheng, who stepped down from the position of chairman (my father), has expressed disapproval. At a time like this, it’s very difficult for me to invest in卓美, whose future is so uncertain.”
“Since you came to me, you must hope that I can do something about this, right?”
“You’re overestimating yourself. You’re not yet seasoned enough to play in such a massive capital game.”
I looked at her for a while before saying, “So you came just to tell me that you’re powerless to help Mi Cai and want me to relay that to her?”
“She understands my difficulties; there’s no need for you to pass it on.”
“Then I really can’t figure out your purpose for coming here!”
The woman in red paused before speaking, “I came to tell you that the war over Zhuomei has already begun on a level you cannot see… Someone in Zhuomei’s upper management wants to target Mi Cai. Now everything is ready, just waiting for the east wind—the failure of Zhuomei’s IPO. However, as long as ZH Investment from Weiran hasn’t transferred its shares and relinquished its voice, things will temporarily remain safe.”
“Are you saying that ZH Investment has persisted until now solely to protect Mi Cai’s authority within the group?”
It’s hard to judge, but Weiran’s ZH Investment is indeed still holding on. Otherwise, the malls that Zhuomei is constructing in several major cities would have already halted due to financial strain. Zhuomei’s current model is dangerous. To maintain the operational structure of the malls, the group has basically built them itself—this is a bottomless pit of investment that’s difficult to recoup in the short term. Previously, with ZH Investment supporting from behind, the advantages of this model were apparent. Once ZH Investment collapses and Zhuomei fails to attract new major investors, the situation will become truly perilous! In the end, this model has made Zhuomei a group overly dependent on investment… Mi Zhongde has truly destroyed Zhuomei with his own hands! Zhuomei should never have developed along this path!
The woman in red’s words made me deeply anxious, yet I didn’t know what to say. Indeed, as she said, in the face of such a massive capital game, I was powerless.
Finally, the woman in red took a sip of the milk I had prepared for her and said, “I came here hoping that you can successfully organize Zhuo Mei’s Christmas event, giving me a reason to allocate funds from the group to invest in Zhuo Mei…”
“I understand your meaning. I will definitely do my best!”
“Yes, promise me that this event must create a marketing miracle, becoming a textbook case for teaching marketing. I need enough persuasive power!”
I nodded, my determination evident without needing words.
The woman in red continued, “I’m afraid the opposing forces within Zhuomei have already begun moving in secret. There will inevitably be a battle soon. Of course, if Zhuomei successfully goes public, these problems will no longer exist. Unfortunately, that’s no longer realistic. Zhuomei’s inherent flaws have gradually been exposed to the public eye, and this negative energy is fatal for an IPO!”
“Is it really that bleak?”
“Yes, but Zhuomei is still a group with substantial foundations, and its core business remains profitable. Therefore, even if the IPO fails, as long as its foundation remains intact, there will still be opportunities for a resurgence in the future. You should be able to see that once these under-construction malls become operational, Zhuomei’s scale advantage will begin to show!”
“Yes, I hope what you’re doing now is just preparing for the worst-case scenario.”
The woman in red smiled and said, “I think it’s more optimistic to say that we’re preparing in advance. I look forward to the marketing miracle that Zhuo Mei will create on Christmas Day.”
“It will happen,” I said confidently, because I believed in the integrated strong resources, in Fang Yuan’s execution capability, and in Zhuomei’s influence in Suzhou, which was already superior to Baoli Department Store. When the time came, we would certainly exceed the previously set targets.
At this moment, I became even more suspicious of Chen Jingming’s motives for persuading me, which seemed heavily driven by personal greed. This evening, the woman in red came to me, definitely in agreement with Mi Cai. This shows that Mi Cai also supports this event. Yet Chen Jingming claimed that if Mi Cai had enough attention to interfere with Zhuomei’s domestic affairs, she would definitely stop this event. This discrepancy was significant, giving me reason to doubt him… However, this doubt made me deeply disheartened. Could it be that my former boss, who had always been so considerate towards me, was actually a man driven by selfish ambition?
…
After finishing her glass of milk, the woman in red left the restaurant. I did not choose to leave immediately, lighting a cigarette, trying to sort through my thoughts…
Store manager Yi Jing was very concerned about the outcome of my conversation with the woman in red. She came to my side and asked, “General Manager Zhao, how did your talk go? Have you decided to transfer the inn to her?”
I merely shook my head, my mind completely elsewhere regarding the transfer of the inn. Yi Jing sighed in relief and continued, “I really hope you never reach an agreement; then Kongchengli can be preserved!”
Suddenly, Luo Ben, who had appeared in the restaurant, picked up where Yi Jing left off, speaking in a mocking tone, “If no one can be found to take over the operation, I’m afraid General Manager Zhao will have to forcibly shut down Kongchengli…”
I looked at him absentmindedly for a moment, then pulled out a cigarette from my pack and handed it to him. Luo Ben was only upset with me over the matter of transferring Kongchengli, but our brotherly bond remained intact, so he didn’t refuse my cigarette. He took it from me, lit it, and then looked at the restaurant with a complex gaze, and in that complexity, I saw a sense of reluctance!
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