Chapter 249 - 195: The Man Handles the Outside, the Woman Handles the Inside (Part 3)

As she spoke, she watched Yang Hui. He knew she was worried the investment would be too large for him to handle. After all, his current purchases for the NLB business were made in batches, a clear sign that his cash flow was tight.

"How much of an investment would be required?"

Yang Hui had also done some rough calculations. To handle design, R&D, and production, they’d definitely need a research and development center and a factory. That meant either building or acquiring one, and building a standard factory from the ground up was the ideal option.

That would likely involve acquiring industrial land, and the plot couldn’t be too small. He figured they would need at least fifty mu—over eight acres—to satisfy their initial needs.

Then there was what Serene mentioned: they needed a complete organizational structure. With so many people in the initial phase, payroll alone would be a significant expense. Adding it all up, it was clear they’d need a substantial amount of money.

"The initial investment would be in the tens of millions."

Serene was clearly still thinking about his financial situation. Her idea was to prepare the startup capital first, and then once cash started flowing back from the NLB business, it could be funneled back into the private label brand.

She clearly didn’t think Yang Hui could produce tens of millions on his own. Just as he was about to say it wasn’t a problem—that he could come up with the money—Serene spoke again. "How about this? I’ll use my connections to get a 100-mu plot—over sixteen acres—of land transferred to us. We can owe them the money and pay for it in a year."

Yang Hui was speechless. ’What kind of connections could she possibly have?’ he thought. ’Ones that could just hand over a hundred-mu plot of land and let them defer payment for a year?’ But he knew Serene’s personality; she wouldn’t make empty promises. This just went to show that the beautiful woman before him was incredibly well-connected. Then again, considering she drove a Land Rover Range Rover worth over three million yuan, it was obvious her family background was extraordinary.

Transferring land involved a mountain of troublesome paperwork. You had to submit a transfer agreement, the land use certificate, proof of corporate eligibility, a project feasibility report for the recipient, and so on. The relevant departments would also need to conduct reviews and assessments. Only after passing an access review could a contract be signed, which then had to be notarized before, finally, the change in registration could be processed.

With all those procedures, not to mention the taxes and administrative fees, it was nowhere near as simple as she made it sound.

Serene seemed to know what he was thinking and said in a clear, crisp voice, "I’ll handle everything related to the land. You don’t need to worry about it. We can defer that payment for now."

If that was the case, Yang Hui’s worries vanished. He was due to receive a 30 million yuan unemployment payout after leaving Futong Commerce. If he chose not to find a new job to ’grind,’ he could then collect 30 million every month. If he did get a new job, the next time he was laid off, his monthly benefits could be as high as 60 million. With that kind of income, he’d have no financial pressure at all.

"So it sounds like my only jobs are to provide the startup capital and handle channel development later on. You’re going to take care of all the company affairs yourself, including building the whole organizational structure."

He was joking, describing his ideal scenario, but to his surprise, Serene simply nodded. "That’s not so difficult. Just leave it to me."

Just then, the waiter arrived with their food. Yang Hui rose and said, "Let’s eat while we talk."

"Serene, since we’re going into this together, what are you looking for? How much equity do you want?"

"I have 20 million to invest. It depends on how much capital you need and how much equity you’re willing to offer for it."

Yang Hui rubbed his chin. "You’re not going to discuss it with your family? You’re just going to invest twenty million?" ’She doesn’t have a system,’ he thought. ’Twenty million is no small sum to just come up with.’

Serene accepted the drink he poured for her and thanked him. "What’s there to discuss with my family?" she said. "This is my own private stash."

’Whoa, a regular little heiress,’ he thought. ’How old is she, to have already saved up a twenty-million-yuan private stash?’

"Before we discuss shares, I want to reiterate my goal for this venture. I’m not doing this to get rich. I want to build a great company—one that’s driven by customer needs and dedicated to serving them. We’ll put our people first and create a good, happy life for our employees."

He watched her reaction as he spoke. Serene listened intently, nodding frequently to show she was in agreement.

"So, my company will have extremely high standards for product quality, and employee compensation will be well above the industry average. On top of that, I plan to distribute about seventy percent of the annual profits back to the employees."

He saw the shock in Serene’s eyes. But then, a light in them made him realize that she still agreed with him. In that moment, Yang Hui felt as if he’d found a kindred spirit. This was someone who shared his ideals.

To give her an idea of just how well his employees were treated, he listed the current compensation packages for both the frontline and corporate staff at Yanghe Commerce as a point of reference.

"You give them a lot," she said, "but the employees give a lot in return and create more value. You can see it in the NLB results—everyone works together to generate that value. Even though you share a lot with them, the portion you earn for yourself is still substantial."

"I like your philosophy. It creates a company with a human touch, an environment that’s extremely fair to those who work hard. It’s no wonder I didn’t see a single person slacking off at your company. Everyone consciously performs at their absolute best."

Yang Hui smiled. "Exactly. It’s all for one, and one for all. We welcome those who share our philosophy as comrades. As for those who don’t identify with our corporate culture, we don’t force it. We’re simply not walking the same path."

Serene looked at him and said with great sincerity, "The world you’re describing... that’s my utopia, too. That’s why I’ve been thinking about it ever since you first mentioned it. If you hadn’t come to me today, I was planning to come to you."

Yang Hui realized that beneath her beautiful exterior, she was not only incredibly calm but also remarkably forthright. Anyone else discussing a partnership would never have admitted they were already planning to initiate the conversation. They would have played hard to get, pretending to accept reluctantly.