Sophia, as the heiress of the Su Group and a dignified young lady, did not consider Li Zhi, a mere "ordinary person," very important, despite his possession of the essential production technology for Happy Fish Balls. In Sophia's eyes, these things would eventually become hers.
However, Sophia was not greedy. She had not yet decided to completely oust Li Zhi, the founder of Happy Fish Balls, from this "feast."
The introduction of funds from the Su Group was something she had long considered. It would be beneficial for both the company's development and for Li Zhi personally, with no drawbacks.
Sophia placed great importance on the future of Happy Fish Balls. She had even planned out the next three to five years.
When Dong Xiaorou suggested separating the management of the processing plant from Happy Fish Balls, Sophia did not object for the sake of future planning.
Once the accounts of the factory and Happy Fish Balls were separated, they would represent two distinct enterprises. Happy Fish Balls would certainly not give up the technology for producing fish balls. At a certain point, Happy Fish Balls would inevitably invest in building a factory or engage in cross-shareholding with one.
The first thing Sophia needed to do was to secure capital from the Su Group. As long as Li Zhi accepted the financing from the Su Group, neither Happy Fish Balls nor Xiaorou Food Factory could escape!
The biggest problem now was that Li Zhi was unwilling to accept the financing plan from the Su Group. She was puzzled. Clearly, the Su Group was offering money to "Happy Fish Balls" or to Li Zhi. So, why was he unwilling?
"Temporarily postpone the expansion plan for the flagship store in the University City Center Square." "Three million in funding is too substantial, and Happy Fish Balls cannot come up with this much money for investment in a short period of time," Li Zhi said.
Setting aside the issue of investing three million in a flagship store and whether the cost could be recovered in a short time, it was not necessary for Happy Fish Balls to open a store of this scale in the short term. Three million was not a small amount. With this money, Happy Fish Balls could open eight to ten stores of the same size.
Expansion does not necessarily have to be grand. Surrounding the city with countryside is also a strategic approach.
"Do you just cancel it like that?" Do you know how much effort I put into securing the storefront in the center square? Do you know what you're doing? Sophia asked, somewhat annoyed.
Li Zhi felt a bit uncomfortable, but soon smiled and shook his head, saying, "Miss Su, I have only one question for you: does Happy Fish Balls belong to you or to me?"
"…" Sophia was speechless for a moment.
Li Zhi stopped smiling and replied seriously, "If Miss Su only has this attitude, then I'm sorry, but I doubt we can continue to cooperate in the future."
Sophia glared at him and said, "You say we can't cooperate, so we can't?"
"Are you planning to resort to coercion?" Li Zhi asked with a smile.
Sophia said angrily, "Have you forgotten our agreement?"
Li Zhi shrugged and said indifferently, "I haven't forgotten, but I regret it now." I think the decision we made last time was a mistake, so I'm retracting my words. Given Miss Su's performance, she is no longer suitable to be the general manager of Happy Fish Balls. The agreement we previously discussed is now null and void. "As for the two million in cash for Miss Sophia, I will return it in full within a month!"
"You dare!" Sophia was furious. She didn't expect the guy to be so bold, wanting to kick her out of Happy Fish Balls. This was unacceptable.
Li Zhi smiled and said, "I have no other special qualities, just a lot of courage." "So, there's nothing I wouldn't dare to do!"
"Are you going to violate the spirit of the contract?" Sophia glared at Li Zhi. If Li Zhi dared to say yes, she had a hundred ways to make him swallow his words.
Li Zhi shook his head seriously and said, "No, I am very committed to the spirit of the contract." As a businessperson, I also believe that any successful individual should adhere to the "spirit of the contract."
Sophia angrily asked, "Then why are you going back on your word?"
"I'm not." I feel that Miss Su did not meet my expectations during the probationary period. I cannot entrust my company to someone who intends to take it over. Do you understand? Li Zhi explained.
"You are indeed the heiress of the Su Group, but my initial intention in inviting you to join Happy Fish Balls was not to merge Happy Fish Balls with the Su Group." You misunderstood my intentions. "Fortunately, it's not too late now!" Li Zhi said, smiling, as he stood up and reached out to Sophia. "I am pleased to have worked with Miss Su, and I am also grateful for the changes she has made to Happy Fish Balls." "By the way, I will ensure that your salary for this month is paid in full!"
Sophia clenched her fists, glared at him, and gritted her teeth. "You will regret this!"
"Hopefully!" Li Zhi smiled at her and walked outside the teahouse. He had invited Sophia out to discuss the future plans for Happy Fish Balls, but he didn't expect things to escalate to this extent.
On second thought, if Li Zhi had known Sophia's intentions from the beginning, he would not have invited her to join.
This was Li Zhi's mistake, and it also made him realize one thing clearly: there is no such thing as a free lunch. While you may want to rely on others, they may have their own motives to benefit from you.
Li Zhi didn't even care about the eighty million from Xingyue Bay's Zhao Xueying, so how could he care about the two million investment from the Su Group?
"Xiaorou!"
After leaving the teahouse, Li Zhi took out his phone and called Dong Xiaorou.
The factory was not yet fully operational, and Dong Xiaorou was still at the construction site, overseeing the installation of new equipment and the construction of a small cold storage.
"What's up?" "Dong Xiaorou asked, somewhat surprised."
Li Zhi sighed and said, "I've kicked Sophia out." "I've had enough of her!"
Dong Xiaorou was taken aback and frowned. "Did she provoke you?"
"She didn't provoke me, but she wants to bring in capital from the Su Group and merge Happy Fish Balls," Li Zhi said with a bitter smile.
He could only vent to Dong Xiaorou now. He couldn't bring himself to discuss this with anyone else.
Dong Xiaorou fell silent for a moment and calmly said, "I knew it." I'll call Xiaoqing now. "Don't worry, she won't take anything that doesn't belong to her!"
Upon hearing Dong Xiaorou's words, Li Zhi couldn't help but smile. This person was truly on the same page as him, even in the way she spoke.
As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water.
Sophia had the ability, but her ambitions were too great. It would not be easy to control her, and Li Zhi had no interest in doing so.
Happy Fish Balls and Xiaorou Food Factory were both Li Zhi's cash cows, and he would not tolerate anyone trying to interfere with them.