Ouyang Xue stayed at Xiao Yawen's place for the night. They discussed the company's affairs until late, with Yawen again sleeping on the sofa. The next morning, after washing up and putting on makeup, they set off to the audio shop, where they picked up the two young men from Venus Hotel and had breakfast together. They then drove leisurely for four hours to the ancient city, dropped the young men back at the hotel, and arrived at Jiahe Garden just after 11 AM.
Ouyang Xue rang the doorbell.
This was Xiao Yawen's first meeting with Ding Yuan Ying since the private equity fund disbanded. Although she had interactions with Rui Xiaodan and the company, her last encounter with Ding Yuan Ying was during the private equity days. She habitually greeted, "Hello, Mr. Ding."
Ding Yuan Ying, not surprised by her visit, warmly replied, "Yawen, please come in."
Yawen placed the digital camera and her bag on the sofa and sat down, saying, "Mr. Ding, it's been three years."
Ding Yuan Ying smiled, "Stop calling me Mr. Ding. I'm no longer a boss."
Ouyang Xue interjected, "It's awkward to call him that. Just call him Brother like I do."
Yawen smiled nervously, "Alright, Brother, I'll get closer to you."
Ouyang Xue glanced into the room where the computer was kept. She noticed a chaotic spread of records, record boxes, sleeves, and vinyls scattered from the large coffee table to the large sofa. Curious, she asked, "Brother, what are you doing?"
Ding Yuan Ying replied, "Selecting tracks and compiling a record."
Ouyang Xue didn't understand, "Compiling a record? Can you make your own record?"
Ding Yuan Ying explained, "Yes, you can take the best violin pieces from various symphonies and concertos, edit them with software, and create a record of your favorite tracks."
Ouyang Xue understood, "Can you make one for me too? I'd like to listen to it in my car."
Ding Yuan Ying asked, "Do you want this one or a new compilation?"
Ouyang Xue replied, "A new one, not too artistic, just pleasant to listen to."
Ding Yuan Ying smiled, "What's pleasant to listen to is art; it's just that everyone's standards differ."
Ouyang Xue thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk business first. Brother, yesterday I discussed with Yawen about her taking over the company. Yawen is also interested in investing. We are on the same page. She's here to gather evidence and film the production process in Wang Miao Village. Regarding Yawen's investment, we need your and Xiaodan's opinions."
Ding Yuan Ying said, "Yawen's investment wouldn't make sense unless she holds or equals the controlling stake."
Ouyang Xue said, "Yawen will invest 300,000 yuan, and the rest will be treated as advances, giving her 51% of the shares. This way, you and I will be freed. I'll hold 29%, and the remaining 20% will be reserved. Yawen's idea is to bring Feng Shijie in when the risks are gone, after the lawsuit and possible cooperation with Le Sheng."
While preparing tea, Ding Yuan Ying listened to Ouyang Xue explain the situation. As he washed the teacups, he looked at Xiao Yawen and asked, "How can you be sure that Le Sheng will cooperate with Ge Lü Shi?"
Xiao Yawen replied, "From Le Sheng's standpoint, cooperation is in their best interest."
Ding Yuan Ying asked again, "Do you want to bring Feng Shijie in because you have no choice, or do you want to give him a chance?"
Xiao Yawen said, "It's a necessity. Ge Lü Shi's foundation is in Wang Miao Village, and Wang Miao Village's lifeline is in Ge Lü Shi. Besides this essential dependency, Feng Shijie is a crucial link in the relationship."
Ding Yuan Ying said, "Compared to trusteeship or transfer, having Yawen take over the company seems the best outcome. I think Xiaodan will agree. However, a high probability of winning doesn't guarantee victory. Yawen, you must be fully aware of and prepared for the consequences of losing."
Xiao Yawen said, "If we lose, I'll just go back to work. When I'm too old to work, I'll set up a small stall or shop. It's not about what I want; it's about what I have to do. If I can't repay the debt in my lifetime, Ouyang will have to accept it."
This felt like a simple test. Yawen's judgment was based on the essence of things. Ding Yuan Ying had similarly tested her when he recruited her for the private equity fund. Today's scenario mirrored that. The difference was that then, he was hiring an employee; now, he was selecting the head of Ge Lü Shi.
Ding Yuan Ying said, "Alright, it's you."
Xiao Yawen said, "I need to wrap up my current job before I resign. Midway changes are frowned upon in the headhunting business, so I need some time. I also need time to fully understand Ge Lü Shi and the villagers. I propose we sign the share transfer agreement after I resign, and we skip submitting the defense within 15 days, starting from the evidence exchange phase."
Ding Yuan Ying said, "That's up to you."
Yawen continued, "About the BMW, it's not appropriate for Ge Lü Shi. I want Liu Bing to return it to you in a few days."
Ouyang Xue, who had been calculating something, interjected, "The BMW doesn't fit the company's image, but the company needs a car. Yawen represents the company. We discussed buying a 300,000-yuan car, better than mine."
Ding Yuan Ying said, "That's a good timing. Yawen buys the car, and the BMW returns to Chu Feng."
The Tieguanyin tea was ready. Ding Yuan Ying poured a cup for each person, then lit a cigarette. This was his habit, feeling that tea was incomplete without a cigarette.
Yawen took a sip of the hot tea, "Delicious! It's been a while since I had tea with you, Mr. Ding. I used to be nervous around you, afraid of being fired for any mistake. Now I call you Brother, but I'm still nervous."
Ding Yuan Ying smiled, "Are you afraid of me?"
Yawen said, "Of course. One frown from you, and I'd be at the finance office to settle my account."
Ding Yuan Ying said, "If you were afraid, would you have placed me in the ancient city?"
Yawen shrugged helplessly, "Brother, honestly, I just wanted to stay in touch through Xiaodan and learn from you. I'd never have the guts to make a move on Xiaodan or you. Who am I to think I could? But who would have thought... Xiaodan would seduce you? And you, fresh out of hardship, would jump into the fire?"
Ding Yuan Ying awkwardly smiled, "It's my fault for seducing a good woman."
Seeing that the business talk was over, Ouyang Xue closed her calculator and said, "Brother, this lawsuit made me realize I need to get a high-end sound system. As a woman, it's hard to get such a top-notch system later."
Ding Yuan Ying said, "The company is yours. Just take the demo system."
Ouyang Xue said, "It's not about the equipment; it's the records. I remember you saying, on average, two good tracks per record is excellent. You have 1,300 records here, which could yield 2,600 tracks. Averaging out, you could make 200 CDs. At 20 yuan each for burning, that's 4,000 yuan. Your 1,300 records, at 130 yuan each, would save me 165,000 yuan. I need a playlist with track names and composers. I'll lightly burn them, no need for imports."
Yawen leaned back, "Wow! The last strong woman in the world has fainted!"
Ouyang Xue asked, "Why faint?"
Yawen said, "These are 1,300 carefully selected records from the best stores worldwide, handpicked by an expert like Brother Ding. It's like going from zero to boiling point in taste. If a real enthusiast knew, they'd faint."
Ouyang Xue got excited, "Haha, so I can roam the world now? Brother, please!"