On a weekend afternoon, Lin Yushu visited a sanatorium.
Since his stroke, Zhou Xian had been living in the rehabilitation center of the sanatorium. Initially, his left side was paralyzed, and he couldn’t speak properly. Now, he could walk with a cane.
“Teacher,” Lin Yushu handed the fruits to the nurse and sat down on the balcony’s recliner.
At this moment, Zhou Xian was basking in the sun and reading a book. He took off his glasses and placed them on the small table, greeting Lin Yushu, “You’re here.”
“What book are you reading?” Lin Yushu leaned over and asked.
Zhou Xian flipped the cover over, revealing a popular book on self-cultivation. He smiled and said, “I never used to read these kinds of books before.”
Lin Yushu knew that Zhou Xian’s bookshelf used to be filled with books about acquisition cases like “The Barbarian at the Gate.” But perhaps due to his serious illness, he now focused more on personal growth.
“How have you been lately?” he asked. “Is your work going well?”
“So-so,” Lin Yushu wouldn’t deliberately say pleasant words in front of his teacher. He stated things as they were, “The investment banks we’ve been collaborating with had poor performance in the third quarter.”
“Don’t you keep an eye on them?” Zhou Xian asked.
“I have too much on my plate,” Lin Yushu said helplessly. “I’m overwhelmed.”
“I know the burden of the family business has fallen on your shoulders,” Zhou Xian said, “but you must still excel at your primary job.”
Investment was Lin Yushu’s primary job, and compared to autobiography and family genealogy, it played a more crucial role in the entire enterprise. If he neglected investment management due to trivial matters, it would indeed be a case of misplaced priorities.
“I will make proper adjustments,” Lin Yushu paused and continued, “Besides, I’ve been in contact with Song Qiming recently, and he…”
“What about him?” Zhou Xian interjected, taking over the conversation. “Is he causing you headaches?”
Zhou Xian knew the members of the Shao family better than Lin Yushu. As soon as Lin Yushu mentioned Song Qiming, Zhou Xian already knew what he wanted to say.
“A bit,” Lin Yushu nodded.
“He’s not an easy person to control,” Zhou Xian said, “If his grandfather wants him to go east, he’ll definitely go west. I wonder if he has become more restrained over the years.”
“Not at all,” Lin Yushu said with a headache.
“Is it the same for people who play race cars?” Zhou Xian chuckled and looked at Lin Yushu. “You’re the same. I tell you to go east, but you insist on going west.”
“That’s different…” Lin Yushu murmured softly, “Investment decisions should be based on one’s own judgment, and most of the time, I still listen to you.”
Everyone has a different investment style. Some are aggressive, while others are conservative. Lin Yushu considered himself more on the conservative side, always thinking carefully before making a move. However, in Zhou Xian’s eyes, some of his choices were still too daring.
But whether it’s being aggressive or conservative, as long as it brings decent returns, it’s considered a good investment.
“Now you need to rely on your own judgment even more,” Zhou Xian said with great emphasis. “I can no longer help you with work matters. You must be more proactive, more decisive. Don’t be afraid to make decisions. Opportunities have to be seized by yourself.”
Zhou Xian seemed to see through Lin Yushu’s inner struggle, speaking out the dilemma in his heart.
Wasn’t he afraid of making decisions? Afraid of making the wrong ones?
In fact, investing was the same. If you didn’t take action, you wouldn’t face any losses, but correspondingly, you wouldn’t gain anything either.
“I understand, teacher,” Lin Yushu said.
So, I should still follow my instincts.
At the beginning of a new week, Lin Yushu encountered a familiar GTR car in the parking lot of Yong Xing Tower. He almost forgot that Song Qiming would start working at the company this week, and most likely his office would be on the executive floor of Yong Xing.
Shortly after the morning meeting ended, Lin Yushu received a message from Shao Guangjie, asking him to come to the Yong Xing Automotive conference room.
Yong Xing Automotive was quite far from the headquarters, so when Lin Yushu arrived at the conference room with documents in hand, Shao Guangjie and Song Qiming were already seated at the round table. Shao Guangjie sat at the ten o’clock position, while Song Qiming sat at the two o’clock position.
Lin Yushu naturally didn’t sit between the two of them. Without hesitation, he walked straight to Shao Guangjie and took a seat beside him.
“Regarding the research funding for S-power,” Shao Guangjie handed the documents to Song Qiming, “we have come up with three options. Option one is 5% of Yong Xing Automotive’s revenue, option two is 50% of S-power’s revenue, and option three is not based on revenue but rather granting you stock options. Which one do you lean towards?”
Song Qiming looked at the documents in his hand and didn’t answer immediately.
After a moment, he lifted his gaze and asked, “Which one do you think is better?”
“I think…” Shao Guangjie instinctively began to respond, but he suddenly realized that Song Qiming’s gaze was actually focused on Lin Yushu. Perplexed, he also looked at Lin Yushu beside him.
“The three options have different focuses,” Lin Yushu spoke, taking over the conversation. “It depends on whether you want to prioritize the overall growth of Yong Xing Automotive, focus solely on S-power, or consider the company’s stock price.”
Song Qiming glanced at the documents again and asked, “Is this your idea?”
The atmosphere of the small meeting was indeed off, and Shao Guangjie, feeling ignored, furrowed his brows and looked at both of them. “Are you two acquainted?”
“Not really,” Lin Yushu replied.
Song Qiming didn’t directly answer Shao Guangjie and said, “I need some time to think.”
“You can rest assured that you won’t lose out with any of the options,” Shao Guangjie finally regained his voice. “We are a community of interests now, and our goal is to make Yong Xing Automotive bigger and stronger.”
“I understand,” Song Qiming stood up, holding the documents. “I’ll get back to you later.”
The timeframe for “later” was quite broad, ranging from ten minutes to two hours.
Lin Yushu wondered why Song Qiming needed this “later” time to make a decision. As soon as he returned to his office at the headquarters and sat for a few minutes, Song Qiming appeared at the door.
“You came up with the options, didn’t you?” Song Qiming walked over and sat on the guest sofa. “Only you know that I care most about the company’s stock price.”
Lin Yushu didn’t deny it and looked at the man sitting on the sofa with disbelief. He glanced outside the office, lowered his voice, and asked, “What are you doing in my office?”
“To discuss the options,” Song Qiming seemed oblivious to any issue. “Option three is not bad, but I know option three was tailor-made for me by you.”
“Can’t you just send a message?” Lin Yushu was getting frustrated. “I am Shao Guangjie’s person. Can you please avoid causing trouble for me?”
Song Qiming frowned slightly, repeating Lin Yushu’s words, “You are Shao Guangjie’s person?”
“Yes,” Lin Yushu directly gave him the dismissal order. “So you can’t come to my office.”
Song Qiming pursed his lips, and the three words were written all over his face: not pleased.
He threw out a casual “Fine” and stood up, about to leave. However, when Lin Yushu glanced outside the office and saw no one paying attention to them, he said, “Choose option three.”
Song Qiming’s departing footsteps paused.
Lin Yushu straightened his chin and placed a hand on his forehead, pretending to look at the files on the desk. “Come to my house tonight.”
The low-pressure atmosphere that enveloped the office instantly vanished. Song Qiming lightly curved his lips and looked at Lin Yushu. “Okay.”
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