Because my own car was still under repair at the 4S shop, the next morning I drove the company’s minivan with my assistant heading to Yangzhou. Around 9 o’clock, we arrived at Shouxi Lake Yueyuan in Yangzhou.
The signing party from Shouxi Lake Yueyuan was a vice president. According to the previously drafted commercial plan for Yangzhou, we would lease three commercial premises totaling 2,860 square meters from Shouxi Lake Yueyuan for establishing a bar, guesthouse, coffee shop, and restaurant. The contract was for eight years. In addition to the leasing cooperation, we would also collaborate on developing some small-scale distinctive tourism projects around Shouxi Lake, which was unprecedented in other cities. Therefore, I placed great importance on this market. Once successfully operated, it could serve as a model for further promotion.
At noon, the Shouxi Lake Yueyuan side hosted a banquet for my assistant and me. In the afternoon, we inspected the surrounding market environment together, and it wasn’t until dusk that our trip to Yangzhou concluded.
My assistant was a rather delicate girl. When I invited her to join me for the red-clad woman’s appointment in the evening, she couldn’t cope with the intensive schedule of the day and excused herself, citing physical fatigue, had a light meal, and returned to the hotel to rest early. I also wasn’t fond of driving at night, so I decided to stay in Yangzhou for the night and return to Suzhou early the next morning.
I hadn’t visited Yangzhou many times, but when dusk fell over this city, I still appreciated the charm of this exquisite city. I loved the slow pace of this city, liked how the moon here seemed brighter than elsewhere, and was fond of the river seeming to flow backward under the evening breeze. Lighting a cigarette and strolling through the city streets became the most pleasant and delightful thing… I almost lost myself!
After walking for half an hour, I arrived at the restaurant where I had agreed to meet the red-clad woman. Because I had been immersed in the night view of this city, I didn’t manage the timing of our appointment well. When I arrived, the red-clad woman was already waiting by her car.
I ran up to her and apologized, saying, “Sorry, General An, I made you wait!”
The red-clad woman wasn’t too concerned and asked curiously, “Why are you walking here? Did our transportation system in Yangzhou break down today?”
“Strolling allows one to contemplate life! Especially in a city with such a pleasant view… hehe!”
“So, what life have you contemplated?”
“First, let’s fill our stomachs with some grains, and then I’ll chat with you about life.”
The red-clad woman glanced at me and said, “Still so boring, not a bit of progress…!!”
…
In the private room of the restaurant, the red-clad woman and I sat facing each other. While waiting for the dishes, she drank tea while I took off the ring on my finger and played with it. However, my thoughts never stopped. I realized that since Mi Cai had left, my mood seemed to have been covered with a layer of gray that couldn’t be swept away or blown off, making me feel very depressed. I comforted myself that this was the loneliness of missing someone, but I neglected the long-standing panic growing wildly in my heart.
Finally, I asked the red-clad woman, “General An, watching you as a busy businesswoman with a strong demeanor, have you ever felt particularly panicked?”
“How could I not?”
“So how do you deal with that panic?”
The red-clad woman looked at her teacup and said, “It’s like tea. If you think it’s bitter, just add some sugar. However, someone as extreme as you can’t be solved by just adding sugar. I think… you need to go out on the street and have a stone dropped on your chest, then you’ll feel better!”
“A stone dropped on the chest… damn, General An, you’re so humorous…!!”
“Just some cold humor.”
I looked at her smiling, finding this woman increasingly interesting. However, her recent mood and condition were much better than when I first met her; life seemed to have blossomed vibrant colors on her again!
After a bit more casual conversation, our topic once again focused on Mi Cai. The red-clad woman told me that Mi Cai had contacted her the day before. Naturally, I was very concerned about what they had talked about and kept inquiring.
It seemed they had talked a lot. After thinking for a moment, the red-clad woman said to me, “Let me just tell you straight. The path to Zhuomei’s IPO might not be very smooth.”
My mind immediately tensed up as I asked, “What exactly is going on?”
This has to start with Weiran, the young master of Blue Map Group, the investor of Zhuo Mei…
My heart sank again. I stared at the red-clad woman without blinking, waiting for her to continue. I already realized: Weiran, this hidden danger behind the scenes, had finally taken action with unwillingness.
The woman in red made a calming gesture and continued, “In my opinion, this might not be Weiran seeking revenge or intentionally targeting Zhuomei’s IPO… To be more specific, did Mi Cai tell you about this?”
I shook my head with a serious expression and said, “She wouldn’t tell me these things.”
“Then should I tell you?”
“Of course, you should tell me. Otherwise, what’s the point of being friends? We need a bridge of communication between us.”
The red-clad woman nodded, her expression also becoming serious. After a moment of silence, she asked me, “You should know what main projects Blue Map Group operates, right?”
“Real estate development.”
“Right… Unlike the one-market system in developed countries, China, in its development stage, has a ‘coexistence of urban and rural’ dual economic structure with Chinese characteristics… This economic structure determines that the Chinese market is not flat. The long-term opposition and differences between urban and rural markets have caused the market economy laws to not function normally, so this background led to the previous hot real estate market. However, this is ultimately just a transitional product of the upgrading of the national economic structure, which is deformed and has hidden dangers. The country cannot be unaware of this, so it has imposed strict regulations, which will inevitably lead to a shortage of funds or even the bankruptcy of some real estate companies. And to ensure the effectiveness of the regulation, the country will definitely not rescue these real estate companies at this particular stage…”
I admired this woman’s understanding of China’s economic situation, but I interrupted, “But Blue Map Group has always been a listed group, and it got rid of its reliance on bank funds several years ago… So, overcoming this real estate crisis should not be difficult for such an industry giant, right?”
The red-clad woman smiled and said, “Hmm, how should I say it!… I remember you have a friend named Leyao, right?”
I asked sensitively, “What does she have to do with this?”
“She has nothing to do with it, don’t get nervous. I’m just using her as an example… Everyone outside knows she is the daughter of Xiao Rulin, who is also in real estate development. His group’s scale and Weiran’s Blue Map Group are at the same level, but why did he choose to marry into the family of Cao Jinfei at this time?… It was just to prevent potential problems… However, Weiran’s Blue Map Group did not prepare well for preventing potential problems.”
The red-clad woman continued after taking a sip of water, “In my opinion: Weiran is not an outstanding leader. From his investment and acquisition behaviors in the past two years, some signs can be seen. Regarding acquisitions, in recent years, he has only made mixed acquisitions that are not closely related to the main business. He himself does not have the ability to organically integrate these acquired companies into a profitable whole, which has led to widespread losses… This behavior is undoubtedly playing with fire. Let’s take an example. Including Apple Inc. of the United States, some commercial giants have always focused on horizontal and vertical acquisitions related to their main business, maintaining the potential and competitiveness of their main business… Uh, I’m not denying mixed acquisitions with this example. The key is that he must have the ability and experience to integrate these acquired companies and ultimately generate profits for the group!… Therefore, once problems arose in the real estate industry, it led to a comprehensive crisis for Blue Map Group, and now there are many doubts from the outside about the group and Weiran himself. These negative doubts have even affected its foundation in the stock market… It’s dangerous!”
I felt no relief at the misfortune of Weiran, a man I deeply disliked. Instead, I was deeply concerned about Mi Cai and the future of Zhuomei. Yet, clinging to a last shred of hope, I said, “If Zhuomei can successfully go public, it should also benefit Blue Map Group, right…”
The woman in red shook her head and said, “I’m afraid he doesn’t have that much time to wait for Zhuomei’s successful listing. And even if it does get listed successfully, for a giant like Blue Map, it would only be a drop in the bucket. Let me put it this way: the investment by Blue Map’s ZH Investment Company in Zhuomei was a very poor decision from the very beginning, because Zhuomei itself has too many problems… So, this is what I’m going to tell you next.”
“Please go on…”
“You might not be very familiar with some of the necessary conditions for a company’s listing. Let me mention a few issues with Zhuomei’s qualification for listing… First: defects in the main qualification, including inaccurate identification of the actual controller and frequent changes in management… Second, uncertainty regarding ownership disputes.”
The woman in red paused, took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, and continued, “Mi Cai is currently the chairman of the group but does not hold the largest share, so the identification of the actual controller is inaccurate. As for the changes in management, over the years it has shifted from Mi Zhongxin to Mi Zhongde, then to Mi Cai and Mi Lan—multiple transitions, all of which are problematic. Furthermore, the uncertainty regarding ownership disputes is even more evident at Zhuomei… I suspect that even Mi Zhongde’s abandonment of control over Zhuomei was intended to stir up trouble and prevent its listing… So, my personal judgment is: there must be a major conspiracy within Zhuomei. If it’s a conspiracy, there must be a beneficiary—but who the ultimate beneficiary is, that’s hard to say!”
I ignored the conspiracy theory brought up by the woman in red and said, “Even if what you mentioned does exist at Zhuomei, it shouldn’t be enough to affect its success or failure in going public. After all, Mi Cai and her team are still putting in the effort!”
A single factor alone is not enough to determine success or failure—after all, Zumei has been developing quite well over the past year or two. But if all these factors come together, combined with the uncertainties from the investor side, do you still think the possibility of a successful listing remains high?
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