2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 213 Pride and Prejudice

Nothing in life is ever smooth sailing, and doing business is no exception.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, with only one day left until the Lunar New Year, Tan Jincheng never expected that someone would still ask him to discuss business.

Since they were in such a hurry, Tan Jincheng originally thought the scene would be harmonious, but when he actually arrived, he realized the arrogance and prejudice of some people.

Accompanying them were Li Shiqi and a leader from the automobile manufacturing plant named Xu Xueming. As for his rank, Tan Jincheng had not yet figured it out. Tan Jincheng knew Li Shiqi.

Although Tan Lihua wasn't particularly enthusiastic about promotions, he would still visit his direct superiors during holidays. Occasionally, he would bring Tan Jincheng along to broaden his horizons. Through these visits, Tan Jincheng and Li Shiqi met a few times.

The agreed meeting place was a teahouse. Tan Jincheng came alone. Tan Lihua originally planned to accompany him, but Tan Jincheng felt it was unnecessary. In business matters, it was no problem for his father to act as a go-between.

However, it's best to avoid getting involved in specific negotiations as much as possible. The bargaining process is often quite unpleasant, and it's advisable for someone like Tan Lihua, who has never experienced it and has spent his entire life in a technical position in a state-owned enterprise, to participate less.

"Uncle Li, Happy New Year!" As soon as he entered the door, Tan Jincheng greeted Li Shiqi naturally.

"Xiao Tan, things are really something now! Come, let me introduce you. This is Xu Xueming, the general manager of the car factory. Your dad told you about him, right?" Li Shiqi said cheerfully.

Tan Jincheng was practically someone Li Shiqi had watched grow up. When he was a child, he heard that the Tan family had a handsome son. Later, he heard that Tan Jincheng was a good student. He should have gone to university like most students with good grades.

Who would have thought that an unexpected event after graduating from high school would change his life so drastically, and who would have thought that this young man would be so capable.

Tan Jincheng extended his hand and said, "As I said, Manager Xu, hello, I am Tan Jincheng."

"Mr. Tan, you are very accomplished at such a young age. Please have a seat." Xu Xueming also extended his hand and smiled.

"No, it's because the government's policies are good; we just happened to be born at a good time."

"How's that kid from the Zhang family doing these days? I remember you two were always inseparable," Li Shiqi inquired.

"We're also in Ningbo. We used to work together, and later we started a business together. We currently have a joint company."

Li Shiqi exclaimed, "What great friends! That FlashTech?"

"FlashTech has nothing to do with him. We are partners in other businesses that have no direct connection with FlashTech. In the beginning, it was that company that made money that made me think of setting up a factory. After that, it became FlashTech."

"I see. You two are quite accomplished at a young age. It's not easy for two young people like you to have achieved this much without any help from others."

The conversation was mostly Li Shiqi and Tan Jincheng catching up. On one hand, Li Shiqi was interested in Tan Jincheng's entrepreneurial journey, and on the other hand, he wanted to subtly guide Xu Xueming to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Tan Jincheng and to stop him from being so arrogant as he had been on the phone the day before.

The three chatted for about half an hour. Tan Jincheng, having drunk a lot of tea, couldn't help but feel that the topics they were discussing were too trivial.

"Mr. Xu, I heard your company is considering a sale?"

Xu Xueming smiled and said, "That's right, the business is not doing well, I'm really ashamed. Xiao Tan's business is doing so well, I wonder if you have any advice for me?"

Tan Jincheng raised an eyebrow: "I can't say I'm giving you pointers. Besides, electric scooters are much simpler to drive than cars. I wouldn't dare to talk nonsense about things from different industries."

Li Shiqi sighed inwardly. It seemed that the past half hour had been a waste of time. Sure enough, some deep-seated arrogance and prejudice could not be changed in a short time. To be honest, the status of petrochemicals in Yicheng was much higher than that of his bankrupt car factory.

Although he wasn't exactly a high-ranking leader, he managed a department and had far more influence than Xu Xueming. The fact that he took the time to accompany him during the Spring Festival was already quite a show of respect, but who knew that this guy would continue to act as before.

Since that's the case, I'm too lazy to care anymore. You guys can chat all you want. You can talk to the person you entrusted with the matter later, and I don't need to get involved anymore.

"Don't be so formal. You've transitioned from the garment trading industry to running a factory, so I'm sure you have some experience. Tell me about it."

“We are a private company, and our nature is different. Asking me about this is like asking a blind man.”

"Then what are Xiao Tan's thoughts on cooperation?" "Cooperation? How exactly should we cooperate?"

Xu Xueming took a sip of water to moisten his throat and said, "I've looked into the equity structure of Flash Technology. You're running the factory in partnership with the local city investment company. I wonder if we could consider this approach to jointly run a factory and try to revitalize the Andar brand?"

Tan Jincheng was speechless for a moment. Sure enough, that was their idea. It seemed that the city didn't want to give up on this brand. Indeed, the national automobile industry was booming, and Wuhu was developing very well. Yicheng could be said to have gotten up early but arrived late.

Aside from still having production qualifications, they didn't get anything.

"I'm sorry, our company's current capabilities do not allow us to manufacture cars, so we don't have such a plan at the moment. In addition, Wuhu is already doing very well with gasoline cars, and we probably won't be able to get many preferential policies here. Setting up a factory would be a bit of a loss."

In the gasoline-powered vehicle market, Chery is currently the only brand standing out in the province. There are also brands like JAC, and even if all else fails, the founder of BYD is from Anhui province, so we can talk to him about cooperation and introduction. There is absolutely no need for the province to support a brand like Andar.

Xu Xueming couldn't possibly be unaware of these things. For him to say something like that, it was either a test or he genuinely didn't take him seriously and was just trying to fool him into cooperating first.

After all, there is a big difference in terms of political achievements between a full transfer and a cooperation.

Xu Xueming nodded and continued, "Since your company doesn't have any plans for the automotive industry at the moment, what is the purpose of this acquisition?"

"Let's make some industrial arrangements. Our company is about to launch the battery industry, which may be used in new energy vehicles in the future. So we're making some industrial arrangements in advance. In addition, what we value most is your company's automobile production qualification, which is an intangible asset."

Cooperation was out of the question, and as a result, there were significant differences between the two parties. Tan Jincheng simply cut to the chase: "I'm interested in your car manufacturing qualifications. If you want to sell them, we can discuss it. As for anything else, I have no interest."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xueming's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He was well aware that the factory's most important asset was its automobile production qualification, which was precisely what gave them room for negotiation.

If this part is sold separately, what will the factory have left? Continue making leaf springs? Forget it, they won't be able to pay wages and pensions.

The two sides had significant differences, so the atmosphere in the tea room became somewhat awkward. Tan Jincheng's blunt refusal also angered Xu Xueming, who didn't want to try to ease the tension for the time being.

Seeing this, Li Shiqi shook his head and smiled wryly, and had to step in to ease the tension: "It's good to have differences. That's how business is. Only with differences can there be room for negotiation. Today is the first time we've met. How can a business be concluded in one meeting, right?"

“Uncle Li is right. When Xiao Zhang and I first started our clothing business, we went to several stores to negotiate, but they turned us away. We had to come up with a lot of ideas before we finally got in,” Tan Jincheng replied with a smile.

Li Shiqi also sighed, "Yes, our petrochemical plant had a tough time at the beginning. Nothing is ever smooth sailing. It's also a good thing that Xiao Tan is no longer interested in the car factory. You can't bite off more than you can chew in business. But you can't just think about the benefits. Now that you've achieved success, you should also think about contributing to your hometown."

Li Shiqi is giving both sides equal blame. You, surnamed Xu, shouldn't even think about taking a big bite out of them. Forget about building a factory. As for you, Tan, you can't just take away their most valuable assets without leaving them any benefits. You have to give them something in return.

In fact, Li Shiqi was well aware that the car factory only had so many intangible assets, and whoever came would only be willing to accept that portion. Tan Jincheng's idea was understandable, but he couldn't say it out loud; he had to be more aware of it.

Tan Jincheng nodded and said, "I understand. Although our company is interested in the intangible assets part, we can analyze specific situations on a case-by-case basis. We can discuss this later. If President Xu has any ideas, we can come up with a plan after the New Year and discuss it then, how about that?"

Xu Xueming's expression softened a bit. He knew that no one would be willing to cooperate with them, even their sister companies only agreed to acquire them. However, the young man's unwavering refusal made him feel a little embarrassed.

No matter what, I'm the general manager of the car factory, and I'm older than your father. At least speak a little more gently.

“No problem, let’s come up with a specific plan and discuss it after the New Year.” Xu Xueming nodded.

Li Shiqi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's right. Today is just the initial contact. How can we reach a cooperation agreement so quickly? There are still many things to be approved later. Xiao Tan, you should also understand Lao Xu. He has it tough too."

"Yes, I understand. President Xu is also thinking about the local economy and the factory workers," Tan Jincheng replied perfunctorily.

In reality, he scoffed at Li Shiqi's statement; damn it, when I do business with the Beicang District government and research institutes, they don't talk nonsense like you when they have any intention to cooperate.

If you come in with an outrageous demand, who the hell wants to play with you?

Forget it, let Zhang Xuhui handle the negotiations next time. I can't be bothered with that kind of person. He's not qualified to discuss any big collaborations.

(End of this chapter)