Chapter 121 - 116: Brother, Scrub My Back

Chapter 121: Chapter 116: Brother, Scrub My Back

The company’s current promotional expenses were around ten thousand a day. The daily cash rebate from the Money Power System was just enough to cover it.

Factoring in other recent expenditures, he had less than a hundred thousand in available funds.

To successfully launch his brand, he needed a huge sum of money.

A few tens of millions would just be testing the waters.

Since awakening the system, he had only triggered a cash rebate mission once. Relying on the system to issue a new mission for the kind of money he needed now was highly unlikely.

He had to get the money from somewhere else.

After a moment of thought, Gao Yuan got up and left the company.

He drove straight to the Lin Group. This time, he was looking for Lin Hongnian.

His goal was simple: get money!

The only valuable asset he currently possessed was his 15% stake in the Lin Group.

Gao Yuan’s plan was to use his shares as collateral to get a bank loan.

He definitely had to give Lin Hongnian a heads-up about this.

If Lin Hongnian were to get the wrong idea over something like this, it could affect his future plans.

Lin Hongnian’s office.

The two of them chatted over tea for a bit, their conversation revolving around the facial mask sales.

The Lin Group had also begun selling the masks. With their existing sales infrastructure, their overall progress was much better than Gao Yuan’s.

You could tell Lin Hongnian was very satisfied from the constant smile on his face.

"Uncle Lin, I came today to talk about my shares in the Lin Group."

Lin Hongnian was a little surprised to hear Gao Yuan bring up the shares.

"Oh?"

"Is there a problem with the shares?"

Lin Hongnian didn’t understand why Gao Yuan was bringing this up now. ’Does he think his stake is too small?’

Seeing the change in Lin Hongnian’s expression, Gao Yuan knew he had probably misunderstood and quickly explained, "I need a sum of money recently, so I’m planning to use these shares to secure a collateralized loan from a bank."

The moment Gao Yuan said this, a look of astonishment appeared on Lin Hongnian’s face, and he gave Gao Yuan a deep look.

He really hadn’t expected Gao Yuan to want to use his shares as collateral for a loan.

’Gao Yuan is short on cash?’

Despite his confusion, Lin Hongnian still asked, "Is it a large amount?"

"It’s manageable. Not that much," Gao Yuan said calmly.

He didn’t want Lin Hongnian to figure out his exact situation. Besides, he planned to spend this money on brand building.

"How much do you need? If it’s not a lot, the Group has some funds available."

"Three hundred million."

When Lin Hongnian heard Gao Yuan say three hundred million, the corner of his mouth twitched.

’You call three hundred million "not that much"?’

This was liquid capital. While the Lin Group could scrape together three hundred million, it would have a significant impact on the company.

"I’ll help you contact Old Zhang at the Industrial and Commercial Bank."

Lin Hongnian didn’t mention the Lin Group helping Gao Yuan with the funds again. He just picked up his phone and made a call.

"Old Zhang! It’s been a while. You haven’t even dropped by for tea."

"Busy with year-end stuff, huh? Well, forget it then. I was going to introduce you to some business."

"Alright, I’ll be waiting."

Gao Yuan sat next to Lin Hongnian, listening to his call.

He hadn’t expected the call to end after just a few sentences.

From this very ordinary conversation, Gao Yuan could tell that Lin Hongnian and this Old Zhang from the Industrial and Commercial Bank had a very good relationship.

"Old Zhang will be over in a bit. You two can talk then."

Gao Yuan nodded and expressed his thanks to Lin Hongnian.

Although he had planned to get a loan using his shares as collateral, he didn’t have the right connections. If he had gone to the bank himself, the process would have been very troublesome.

Now, Lin Hongnian had solved the problem for him directly, saving him a lot of effort.

The two continued to chat. Lin Hongnian tried to find out what Gao Yuan planned to do with three hundred million, but Gao Yuan kept steering the conversation elsewhere.

Eventually, Lin Hongnian gave up asking.

’With the secret formula Gao Yuan provided, the Lin Group has already entered a phase of rapid growth. It’s better to stick to our core business and develop it well.’

’Especially since whatever Gao Yuan plans to do with three hundred million is considered just a small sum to him... The Lin Group probably can’t keep up at this stage.’

「Half an hour later.」

A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties was led into the office by Lin Hongnian’s secretary.

He was Zhang Jindong, the Chairman of the Hang City Industrial Bank.

As Zhang Jindong entered the office, his eyes immediately fell on Gao Yuan, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea.

He was very familiar with Lin Hongnian. The Lin Group had been doing business with their bank ever since he was the director of the Hang City Industrial Bank branch.

Over the years, they had certainly given his work a lot of support.

’Lin Hongnian mentioned introducing him to some business on the phone just now. This young man in the office must be the person he’s here to meet.’

"Old Lin! I’ve been craving your tea for a long time."

Zhang Jindong entered without any ceremony, sat right down on the sofa, and poured himself a cup of tea.

As he drank, he didn’t forget to size up Gao Yuan again.

When he saw the look in Gao Yuan’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a favorable impression of him.

Nodding at Gao Yuan, Zhang Jindong downed the tea in his cup in one go.

"And who might this young friend be?" Zhang Jindong asked, looking at Lin Hongnian after finishing his tea.

"This is Wanyu’s boyfriend, Gao Yuan. He’s also the second-largest shareholder of the Lin Group now."

Lin Hongnian directly pointed out Gao Yuan’s connection to him and also mentioned that he was the Lin Group’s second-largest shareholder.

"Truly a promising young man!"

"And I practically watched that little girl Wanyu grow up. She’s as beautiful as a fairy."

"President Gao, you’re also quite dashing. The two of you are a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman."

Once Zhang Jindong understood Gao Yuan’s relationship with Lin Hongnian, he relaxed even more.

On the phone earlier, Lin Hongnian had said he was introducing him to some business. Business with a bank was nothing more than deposits or loans.

For deposits, it went without saying: the more, the better.

As for loans, although banks had tightened regulations in recent years, they were still quite lenient with high-quality enterprises.

This was especially true for a star company like the Lin Group, which was a prime asset in itself. Banks loved dealing with such enterprises.

Therefore, simply based on Gao Yuan’s identity as the second-largest shareholder of the Lin Group, the deal was already halfway done before they even started talking.

So Zhang Jindong immediately showered him with praise, and it wasn’t just empty flattery.

Based on Gao Yuan’s appearance and aura alone, even without his connection to Lin Hongnian, Zhang Jindong would have taken a second look.

"Chairman Zhang, you’re too kind. I’m still young and will need your support," Gao Yuan said humbly. He was, after all, the one asking for a favor.

With a single phone call from Zhang Jindong, a team of people began to serve them.

In less than an hour, two staff members from the Industrial and Commercial Bank arrived at the Lin Group.

They brought the necessary materials for the collateralized loan, some of which required Gao Yuan’s signature, along with documents related to the pledging of Lin Group shares.

After nearly an hour of work, Gao Yuan couldn’t even remember how many documents he had signed. The two bank employees left with the materials.

"Xiaogao, don’t you worry about this loan. We’ll get the paperwork submitted today."

"Just enjoy your weekend. The money will be in your account by Monday."

Zhang Jindong gave Gao Yuan one final reassurance.

With everything settled, it was already past five in the afternoon.

Lin Hongnian immediately arranged for dinner.

They didn’t go out to eat, but ate at the Lin Group’s private guesthouse.

It was only when the food was served that Gao Yuan noticed how different this place was.

Every dish was exquisite, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

There were even some rather rare ingredients.

After the meal, Gao Yuan and Lin Hongnian saw Zhang Jindong to his car.

Since Lin Wanyu was arriving soon, the two of them stood outside the Lin Group’s office building, smoking.

"Old Zhang is a reliable guy. If you have any business in the future, you can contact him directly."

"You’re still young, so I took care of a few things for you."

Gao Yuan looked at the three fingers Lin Hongnian held up and instantly understood.

He had been puzzled during dinner. Zhang Jindong hadn’t mentioned the loan at all; the three of them had only chatted about amusing anecdotes.

It turned out Lin Hongnian and Zhang Jindong had already reached their own tacit understanding.

But since Lin Hongnian had handled it for him, he had no choice but to accept this favor.

’It’s only three million. In the future, the casual sums I spend on Lin Wanyu will be more than that.’

"Xiaoyuan, what are your thoughts on the subsequent skincare products?"

Hearing Lin Hongnian’s words, Gao Yuan knew it was time to repay the favor he had just received.

’The old fox is still an old fox. His methods are so flawless.’

’He grants a favor without a word, and he collects on it just as silently.’

Of course, Gao Yuan could choose not to repay the favor now, but he would inevitably have to repay it later.

"Uncle Lin, the facial masks just launched, and it’s the end of the year. Isn’t it a bit rushed to release other products right away?"

Lin Hongnian didn’t say anything.

What Gao Yuan said actually made some sense.

But for the Lin Group, all their products were already part of a system.

This problem didn’t exist for them.

As long as they launched a new product, it could generate sales immediately.

But the secret formula was in Gao Yuan’s hands, and the contract stipulated that the specific product launch schedule was to be decided by him.

"How about we make an eye mask then?" Gao Yuan said, just as Lin Wanyu’s car drove into the Lin Group’s premises.

He was giving Lin Hongnian some face. Producing an eye mask to be sold alongside the facial mask wouldn’t interfere with his future plans.

The car stopped in front of them, and Lin Wanyu got out.

Right after dinner, he had sent Lin Wanyu a message, asking her to come pick him up.

"Uncle Lin, go ahead and produce another million boxes of the GY series facial masks for me!"

Gao Yuan said this and then walked toward Lin Wanyu.

That last sentence was part of the deal. Apparently, the favor from Lin Hongnian wasn’t enough for him to release the eye mask formula early. Only when combined with the favor of producing another million boxes of masks was the transaction complete.

"Dad, we’re heading home! You should get some rest soon," Lin Wanyu waved to her father and called out.

...

With the weight lifted from his mind, Gao Yuan finally relaxed.

Although he would now be saddled with a three-hundred-million-yuan loan, he wasn’t scared at all!

When you owe a small amount of money, the pressure is endless and all on you. When you owe a huge amount, the pressure shifts to the other party.

Besides, this three-hundred-million loan had a one-year term.

In another year, the Money Power System might have upgraded to provide daily cash rebates in the hundreds of millions. At that point, would he even care about a measly three-hundred-million loan?

At that point, not only would Zhang Jindong not be urging him to repay the loan, he’d be begging him to borrow more.

Of course,

Gao Yuan knew that relying on the Money Power System for daily cash rebates in the hundreds of millions was just wishful thinking.

His daily rebate was only ten thousand right now. The gap between that and a hundred million was more than just a few orders of magnitude.

That dream was less realistic than him earning three hundred million in a year from his skincare products.

Back home.

It was already a bit late, so the three of them didn’t go to the gym.

Since the three of them had slept together the previous night, they had all tacitly accepted the new arrangement.

During the day, Lin Wanyu had moved some unnecessary things into the secondary bedroom.

Lin Wanyu and Li Mengqing went to wash up. Gao Yuan took a quick shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and lay down on the sofa to watch TV.

He felt that ever since getting the Money Power System, he hadn’t had a proper chance to watch TV in a long time. It seemed like every day was filled with things he needed to do.

But then,

Gao Yuan had barely started watching TV when Lin Wanyu’s voice came from the master bathroom.

"Honey!"

"I need you to scrub my back!"