Mi Cai hung her handbag on the coat rack behind the door, her face slightly flushed, apparently having had some drinks at the banquet. I shifted my position slightly, signaling her to sit beside me, and then asked, “You had quite a bit to drink tonight, didn’t you?”
“Hmm, just a little.”
After a brief silence, I said to her, “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Is it about Zhuo Mei?”
I nodded. “Yes, I mentioned it to you when we were in Xuzhou the day before yesterday. Now, the initiative in the situation is controlled by Weiran entirely because of the intense opposition between you and Mi Zhongde. Do you think it might be possible to collaborate with Mi Zhongde first, to curb Weiran as an investor, and then introduce a new investor?”
Mi Cai’s expression changed slightly, still seeming reluctant to discuss this. She said, “Zhaoyang, I really don’t want to easily abandon someone I’ve trusted for nearly five years.”
“I know you once had a deep friendship with Weiran, but people change. At a time like this, you really shouldn’t let your emotions cloud your judgment or continue to hold out hope for Weiran as an investor.”
Mi Cai shook her head and said, “It’s not as simple as you think. If we abruptly replace the investor before going public, it could become a serious issue. We would face endless lawsuits from the current investor. If the investor hires a PR company to publicize the breach of contract, it will definitely affect our eventual IPO.”
“I think choosing a reliable investor is more important than rushing into an IPO. We can delay the IPO for two years, and in the meantime, Zhuo Mei can use this time to further mature and prepare for a better IPO and fundraising.”
“Zhuo Mei can’t afford to wait another two years. Don’t you realize that the department store industry has been undergoing a major reshuffle in recent years? This year is the best opportunity for Zhuo Mei to outpace its competitors and solidify its position in the industry!”
Mi Cai’s persistence left me at a loss for how to continue the conversation. What she said was indeed true—Zhuo Mei, which had suffered greatly before, needed breakthrough growth to cope with the rapidly changing market environment.
During my silence, Mi Cai finally softened her tone and said to me, “Zhaoyang, I understand the principle of securing internal stability before dealing with external threats. I also know you’re thinking of me and Zhuo Mei, but you’re not really involved in the situation. Some things seem too simple to you. Even if we replace the investor now, the historical issues left by Zhuo Mei still won’t be fundamentally resolved. It might be better to wait until the company goes public and then restructure the group.”
I persisted, “What if Weiran collaborates with Mi Zhongde and excludes you from Zhuo Mei before the IPO? Would your plans still hold up then? Once that happens, you’ll have nothing to do with Zhuo Mei anymore, whether the IPO takes place or not.”
“No matter which way I choose, it’s a gamble. This time, I’m betting on Weiran. I believe he’ll remember our past friendship. But my uncle is really not a reliable person!”
Mi Cai’s response made me feel a strange sense of oppression. Setting aside Zhuo Mei, from an emotional perspective, I also didn’t want Mi Cai to be bound by Weiran, a despicable man, for the sake of interest. If she couldn’t completely cut ties, we might face even more unexpected challenges in the future.
However, I couldn’t convince Mi Cai, who had already made up her mind, nor could I stand in her shoes to fully evaluate Weiran, a man full of uncertainties.
…
After this failed conversation, I returned to my room feeling frustrated. I felt as though I had now been completely excluded from this matter by Mi Cai. I could only worry helplessly without being able to do anything. Was I really going to grab a sharp knife and warn Weiran not to plot against Mi Cai? That was simply ridiculous…
Late into the night, I lay in bed smoking and drinking tea, unable to fall asleep. At that moment, I received a call from Fang Yuan.
“Zhaoyang, have you talked to Ms. Mi about cooperating with Mi Zhongde?”
“Hmm, we just talked for a long time.”
“Has she made a decision?”
I took a deep puff of my cigarette before answering, “She’s made her decision. She still holds out hope for Weiran as the investor and has directly ruled out the possibility of collaborating with Mi Zhongde.”
Fang Yuan was silent for a while before responding, “…Actually, I can understand Ms. Mi’s choice. Mi Zhongde’s previous actions have disappointed her too much. But…”
I finished Fang Yuan’s sentence for him, “But Weiran isn’t any better. All these years, Mi Cai has been dancing with a bunch of heartless wolves!”
Fang Yuan sighed deeply, “Ms. Mi has it tough. She really does!… So what do you plan to do now?”
I replied somewhat frustratedly, “With her unwilling to cooperate, what can I do now? I was just an outsider to begin with!”
“What do you think about this… Why don’t you talk to Mi Zhongde on behalf of Ms. Mi first? See what kind of cooperation terms he proposes. If his demands are unreasonable, you can pretend this conversation never happened. But if he genuinely cares about Zhuo Mei’s survival and proposes reasonable and acceptable terms, you can then report back to Ms. Mi and let her make the decision… After all, Zhuo Mei is still the Mi family’s business. It would be a laughingstock if an outsider really controlled Zhuo Mei’s fate, wouldn’t it?”
“Me going to talk to Mi Zhongde on behalf of Mi Cai?… Would that be appropriate?”
“At a time like this, does it even matter what’s appropriate anymore?”
“Let me think about it…”
After ending the call with Fang Yuan, I fell into contemplation again. In fact, for Mi Cai’s sake, it wouldn’t be a big deal for me to swallow my pride and talk to Mi Zhongde. But something still felt off, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Thus, I hesitated, fearing that a wrong decision might affect the course of events and leave Mi Cai in an even more passive position.
After a long time without reaching any conclusion, I turned off the light in my room and decided to return to Xitang the next day. After all, I couldn’t help with the current situation, and there were also many matters awaiting my attention in Xitang, including signing a contract with the owner of a restaurant who intended to transfer it. At this point, my own business was also developing rapidly, leaving no room for even the slightest slack.
…
The next morning, after preparing breakfast for Mi Cai, I drove to Xitang and immediately signed the transfer contract with the restaurant owner. Thus, I now had a commercial property combination in Xitang consisting of an inn and a restaurant. My next step was to create another unique inn in Suzhou and then start connecting the shops in Xitang and Suzhou to form an interactive business operation, giving my envisioned “Artistic Journey” a rough outline.
That evening, as I finished handling matters in Xitang and was preparing to return to Suzhou, Zhou Zhaokun, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, showed up in his Lamborghini. I couldn’t help but inwardly sigh at my own carelessness—I had indeed promised him earlier that I would arrange a meal with him when Leyao returned to Suzhou. However, when Leyao had come back to Suzhou for a business event last time, I had completely forgotten about this.
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