RPAGF 116. Forced buying and selling
116. Forced buying and selling
Zhou Hongyi waved his hand modestly and said, "Ms. Ye, you are joking. Miss Manyu and I are completely innocent and just friends. As for the Paramount, you are right. I, Zhou Hongyi, am determined to have it. There is nothing to hide about this. I have my eye on it. Anyone who tries to take it from me will have my hands and feet cut off. I agree, and my hundreds of brothers in the branch will not agree. Even the Green Gang and the Poisonous Snake Gang will not be able to get their hands on the Paramount from me. If I, Zhou Hongyi, cannot have it, no one can have it either."
As Zhou Hongyi spoke, the smile on his face suddenly turned cold. At this moment, he exuded a murderous aura that seemed almost tangible. Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng, who had been pampered since childhood, had never experienced such a god-like aura before, and they immediately became restless.
With a "smack," Zhou Hongyi suddenly pulled out a gun from his pocket, slammed it on the table, and said, "If Ms. Ye insists on adding 20%, then she might as well pick up this gun now and shoot me, Zhou Hongyi, because those 20% are cutting into my flesh. I'd rather take a bullet than pay those 20%."
Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng were both dumbfounded. What kind of business deal was this? They'd even brought out a gun and then demanded to be shot? What a joke! They had no doubt that if they dared to touch the gun, they'd be killed the next second. As for Liu Yaqiao, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Hongyi. This was the first time he'd ever seen business done this way; it was practically forced buying and selling.
Ms. Ye was clearly well-educated; she quickly calmed down, though her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
"Since Young Master Zhou has already put it this way, fine. When shall we sign the contract? I want to pay 200,000 silver dollars in one lump sum. And from now on, any matters concerning the Paramount will be none of my concern. Don't bother me."
Zhou Hongyi was slightly taken aback. How could they agree so easily? He had planned to give them a hard time first, and then offer them a reward. But before he could even offer the reward, the other party had already agreed. How was he supposed to continue his act?
What Zhou Hongyi didn't expect was that Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng were also in a really bad situation recently. Not only in Shanghai, but they were also looking for buyers to sell their residence in Beijing. They were only thinking about converting the money into US dollars and escaping as soon as possible. So they had no intention of bargaining or arguing with him. As long as they could get the money, they were willing to sell even if they lost some money.
Upon seeing this, Liu Yaqiao hurriedly took out a contract with all the drafted terms on it, leaving only the signature and seal required.
Ms. Ye took the contract and was about to sign it when Zhou Hongyi suddenly raised his hand and said, "Wait."
Ms. Ye looked up at him in disbelief and said, "Young Master Zhou, I don't even want the 20% anymore, what more do you want? This is the Paramount Ballroom, two hundred thousand silver dollars, it's no different from what you picked up on the street. If word gets out, people will think I gave it to you for free."
Zhou Hongyi looked at the other party with a smile and hurriedly added, "Ms. Ye, you misunderstand. What I mean is that 200,000 silver dollars is indeed too little. I, Zhou Hongyi, have always believed in win-win situations in business. Since Ms. Ye is so generous, I, as a man, cannot be outdone."
The figure of 200,000 remains the same, but it's in US dollars. I know you're in a hurry to go abroad, so I'll give you US dollars directly to save you the trouble of exchanging them. However, I need to pay this 200,000 US dollars in installments. You'll pay 10,000 US dollars upfront, and the rest of the money will be transferred to Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng's accounts monthly from the Paramount's revenue, converted to US dollars according to the real-time exchange rate, plus 20% of the revenue as interest.
In this way, you two will have an extra steady income. How about that? Are you satisfied? As for business, I, Zhou Hongyi, have always believed that while battles on the battlefield require a decisive victory, the best business is a win-win situation where everyone profits. Only then can a business last.
Zhou Hongyi's transformation was a complete 180-degree turn. Ms. Ye felt as if she had gone from hell to heaven. Two hundred thousand silver dollars had turned into two hundred thousand US dollars, an increase of five or six times. Moreover, this young master Zhou said that he would pay an additional 20% of the revenue each month as interest. So, the longer the time, the more money she would receive. However, paying only ten thousand US dollars in the beginning was indeed a bit too little.
Zhou Hongyi noticed the other party's hesitation and added, "I know Ms. Ye's concerns, but now that we have Chief Liu as the middleman and I am the police chief, I would never choose to run away. If you two are still worried, I, Zhou Hongyi, will say it again: take a gun and give me a shot. As long as it puts your minds at ease, I don't care if I get shot."
"Here we go again." Ms. Ye rolled her eyes inwardly, then quickly smiled and said, "Young Master Zhou, you're too kind. How could I not believe you? Besides, with Chief Liu vouching for you, I absolutely trust you. What you just said was truly touching. You're right, there can be gambles on the battlefield, but in business, it must be a win-win situation. I believe that under Young Master Zhou's leadership, the Paramount will definitely shine even brighter than before."
"Pah~pah~"
Zhou Hongyi, Ms. Ye, and Mr. Zheng each signed their names and pressed their fingerprints. This large transaction was completed with an initial payment of US$10,000. As for the future? Who knows what the future holds? Saving money is the most important thing right now.
After finishing their business, the group chatted about various things. In the end, Ms. Ye and Mr. Zheng politely declined Zhou Hongyi's invitation to dinner, as they were in a hurry to catch a boat and leave Shanghai. The remaining expenses would be transferred to their overseas bank account. It seemed that the two of them were really in a hurry, and Zhou Hongyi had gotten a good deal.
Zhou Hongyi waved the contract in his hand and said, "Boss Liu, Mr. Liu, Brother Liu, I am so grateful to you for this opportunity. I have nothing to say. In the future, whenever Brother Liu comes to Paramount, all expenses will be waived. I, Zhou Hongyi, promise you today. Moreover, you will always have a first-row VIP seat to watch the show."
Liu Yaqiao laughed heartily, pointing at Zhou Hongyi and saying, "Young Master Zhou, you know perfectly well that I don't really like places like this, yet you still generously waived all my expenses. Your scheming is so cunning that everyone in Beiping can hear it. Alright, enough joking. I'm definitely going to invest in this Paramount, and I won't skimp on my monthly share. Even close brothers need to keep clear accounts; let's not let money cause any unpleasantness."
"Haha, don't worry, don't worry, I, Zhou Hongyi, am not a stingy person. I believe you can see that from what I just said. It's just that I really don't have much cash on hand right now. We'll have to wait until next month when we collect the receivables from Paramount before we can make a decision."
Liu Yaqiao didn't hesitate. He immediately put on his hat and coat and said, "Then I'll wait for the first month's dividend. Young Master Zhou, don't disappoint me. Also, we need to get on track with our 'real business'."
Zhou Hongyi knew the other party was referring to arms, so he quickly said, "Don't worry, I've kept this in mind and will find an opportunity to investigate and find out the answer as soon as possible."