He listened to the phone for a long time without anyone answering, and finally had to hang up.
He heard from a friend in Hong Kong that He Wenxin had returned, so he anxiously called her, but no one answered. It seemed he would have to try again next time.
In Beijing, after finishing the call with Zhang Zhihui, Yang Lili personally went to the Beijing Garment Factory.
Before Zhang Zhihui arrived, she needed to get a general understanding of the situation so she could answer if he asked any questions.
Upon hearing that she was the manager of Xinxin Garment Company, Sun Cheng was both happy and impressed by Chen Lishu's shrewdness.
He took Yang Lili on a tour of the factory, but this time, following Chen Lishu's advice, he did not rush to give a quote.
"Manager Yang, you must have a general understanding of the factory's situation. To be honest, if it weren't for the intense competition pressure in the past two years that has led to cash flow problems, I wouldn't have planned to contract it out. With the wholesale market about to be built nearby, business is bound to be good. I've heard that two other companies are also interested and have already come to take a look."
Yang Lili had not worked in a state-owned factory and did not share Chen Lishu's concerns. She only felt that the Beijing Garment Factory occupied a large area, had many existing employees, and although the machinery and factory buildings were a bit old, considering the appreciation potential of the surrounding area, these issues could be ignored.
"May I know the factory director's quote?"
Sun Cheng immediately replied, "Two million."
Yang Lili's brow twitched slightly upon hearing the price.
But she said nothing, as negotiating the price was not her decision to make. Everything would have to wait until Zhang Zhihui came to Beijing and saw it in person.
While she was waiting for Zhang Zhihui to arrive, news suddenly broke that Chen Lishu was about to sign a contract with the Beijing Garment Factory.
After some probing, she learned that the transaction price was 1.8 million.
Who was Chen Lishu? She had the He family backing her, which meant she had heard the news long ago. It seemed the wholesale market matter was a done deal.
Without time to think, she quickly called Zhang Zhihui and told him everything.
Upon hearing her report, Zhang Zhihui began to hesitate.
As a businessman of many years, who had climbed his way to his current position through hard work, he naturally knew that the Beijing Garment Factory was worth at most 1.8 million.
Because building a new factory in Beijing, along with various expenses, would cost no more than a million.
There must be something fishy about this unusual situation.
Whether it was the wholesale market or something else, this land was definitely not simple.
"The news I received is that both parties will officially sign tomorrow morning."
If it was tomorrow morning, Zhang Zhihui certainly wouldn't be able to make it.
"Okay, I understand."
After saying he understood, Zhang Zhihui hung up the phone.
He then made another call to Zhou Qing.
He had transferred Zhou Qing there precisely because he knew they didn't get along.
For a company to be managed well, there needed to be two people who appeared to be on bad terms. This way, no matter who reported on the other behind their back, he could always be aware of the company's movements.
It was precisely because he understood this principle that he transferred Zhou Qing, thus preventing one person from becoming too powerful and causing major decision-making errors.
However, he had overlooked the determination of one person to get rid of another.
After receiving the same answer, he gave them a definite reply: they could offer a slightly higher price and poach the Beijing Garment Factory from Shuse Garment Company.
After making all the arrangements, Zhang Zhihui asked his secretary to book him a flight ticket for the next morning, preparing to fly to the mainland.
Time flew by, and the next day arrived. Sun Cheng sat in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the clock on the wall for the third time.
The hands were gradually nearing nine o'clock.
"General Manager Chen, will the other party not come?"
Chen Lishu glanced up at him and smiled, "Factory Director Sun, it's not yet nine o'clock, let's wait a bit longer."
Sitting there doing nothing but feeling anxious, Sun Cheng got up and went to the door, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke.
Chen Lishu was so calm because after receiving Zhang Zhihui's call yesterday, Zhou Qing had told her about the matter.
Given the way Yang Lili was trying to snatch the contracting rights from her, she definitely wouldn't be kept waiting for too long.
Indeed, as Chen Lishu had predicted, Yang Lili had already prepared everything. She held a receipt with her name signed on it, waiting for Zhou Qing's signature so the finance department could issue the deposit slip.
Zhang Zhihui had originally stated that all fund movements must be signed by both her and Zhou Qing to be effective.
Especially for such large financial withdrawals, it was impossible without both their signatures.
However, despite having agreed yesterday, Zhou Qing was nowhere to be seen at the critical moment.
Seeing that time was running out, Yang Lili took a pen and signed the document on Zhou Qing's behalf.
Jiang Yuwei saw her actions and was startled, "Manager, isn't this against the rules?"
Yang Lili replied, "Mr. Zhang has already agreed. Signing the contract is important now. After seeing Zhou Qing later, he can sign a supplementary one."
Hearing her say this, Jiang Yuwei hesitated for a moment before handing the bank deposit slip to Yang Lili.
However, shortly after Yang Lili left, Zhou Qing returned to the company from somewhere.
The receptionist saw him and quickly said, "Manager Zhou, Manager Yang was looking for you everywhere earlier, it seemed to be an urgent matter."
Zhou Qing nonchalantly replied, "Oh, I know. It's nothing major. You get back to your work."
With that, he strode upstairs to his office.
Feeling in a good mood, he couldn't help but hum a tune.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhihui had packed his toiletries and was about to go with his secretary to drive to the airport when the phone at home suddenly rang.
"Hello, Old Zhang, it's me, Old Luo."
Hearing Luo Yaowu's voice, Zhang Zhihui sat back down on the sofa.
"Old Luo, how are things progressing on your end? I'm going to the airport soon. If there's nothing urgent, we can talk tomorrow when we meet?"
Luo Yaowu said, "It's like this, all the procedures on my end are done. He Zinian is urging me for them, so I can't delay much longer. To avoid any further complications, I hope we can complete the handover as soon as possible. Once all the property rights are transferred to you, I can leave quickly."
"So sudden? Can't you delay it for a few more days?"
Luo Yaowu sighed, "It's a long story. In order to turn my life around, I borrowed some usurious loans from underground sources. Now, with the interest compounding, I'm unable to repay it. I heard these past few days that they already know I'm in Beijing. You've been kind to me, and I'm afraid they might come looking for me and disrupt your affairs."
"Alright, I understand." After a few more words with Luo Yaowu, Zhang Zhihui hung up the phone.
Luo Yaowu's call had caught him completely off guard.
He hadn't expected to need the money so soon. It seemed the matter of contracting the garment factory would have to be postponed.
He glanced at the time; it was just nine o'clock. Thinking there was still time for everything, he picked up the phone.
However, when he tried to call Yang Lili, her phone was unreachable.