"You've changed too, haven't you, over the past half year?"
Yu Zhou smiled at Song Qing, asking with a hint of curiosity.
Indeed, the Song Qing of today was noticeably different from the Song Qing of six months ago.
Take Jiang Jie, for example. Although Song Qing and Jiang Jie were good friends before, their relationship at the company was strictly that of superior and subordinate.
While they might have interacted more in private, Song Qing had always been reluctant to openly display her emotions in front of others.
But now, things were different. Perhaps it was due to spending more time together, but whether with Jiang Jie or Yu Zhou, Song Qing could now act naturally in public and in private.
This shift in demeanor alone made it evident that their relationships were genuinely strong.
So much so that even when Yu Zhou strolled into Tailong Light Industry openly, no one stopped him. In fact, everyone knew why he was there.
Though Yu Zhou and Song Qing hadn't collaborated directly over the past six months, they had certainly offered each other mutual assistance on a business level.
For instance, Yu Zhou currently had ample cash flow. If Song Qing found herself in a personal financial crunch, she wouldn't hesitate to approach Yu Zhou for a loan.
This was a level of openness that had been completely absent from Song Qing before.
Now, it came naturally, which spoke volumes.
"You're here to fulfill a promise, aren't you?"
Seeing Yu Zhou like this, Song Qing showed no signs of being uncomfortable. She had always been clear about her family's intention to invest in Yu Zhou's current company, "Three Horses."
Therefore, Yu Zhou had been preparing for this, and as soon as he could gain full control of "Three Horses," he would undoubtedly start seeking funding.
Especially now, as he was about to develop new products and build new factories.
Without substantial capital, such endeavors would be virtually impossible.
Thus, Song Qing had already anticipated Yu Zhou's purpose for visiting today and had made preparations.
"Your intelligence network is quite effective. This time, I'm planning to release 20% of the shares. I've already discussed it with Si Yue."
"I can offer you at most 10%. So, what's your investment plan and proposed price?"
Yu Zhou's tone was somewhat casual, but it wasn't an act. "Three Horses" was currently a company that almost everyone wanted to invest in.
A simple product like their sunflower seeds had already been distributed nationwide by Yu Zhou. Even though some markets had high sales volumes and others had low, the potential demonstrated through their distribution channels had already made many people envious.
It had become nearly impossible to firmly suppress Yu Zhou's current enterprise, and even the so-called Deputy Food Alliance could only accept their fate at this point.
Under these circumstances, the company's growth was practically foreseeable, and naturally, the number of people eager to invest was countless.
If Yu Zhou couldn't guarantee his continued overall control after new shareholders came aboard, he wouldn't have chosen to seek funding at this juncture.
After all, for a company, complete control could only be achieved in two ways.
The first was to firmly hold onto the shares, even the voting rights. The second was to establish one's own supreme authority.
Clearly, Yu Zhou was pursuing the second path. Currently, within "Three Horses," from newly hired employees to the old staff of the dried fruit factory, not a single person didn't admire Yu Zhou as their boss.
He could command them, and they would follow his lead. In such a situation, relinquishing a portion of shares became a trivial matter.
Naturally, Yu Zhou wasn't worried about any complications arising within the company by seeking financing now.
"Only 10%? Isn't that a bit little?"
Song Qing wasn't excessively greedy, but 10% of the shares might not satisfy the entire Song family's appetite.
In the past, whenever the Song family invested, they always secured a certain degree of influence.
However, with 10% of the shares, it was truly impossible to gain any say in the matter.
As a result, even Song Qing found it difficult to manage, and her brow furrowed slightly.
"Are you suggesting that Qin Si Yue and I would support giving away half or even more of 'Three Horses'?"
"In fact, this round of financing might be the last one for me. The primary reason is to share the pie. Otherwise, considering the current trajectory of 'Three Horses,' if I were truly desperate for funds, do you think money wouldn't come knocking at my door?"
Yu Zhou spoke very clearly, and it was indeed the case.
Of the 20% of shares being released, 5% was reserved for executives. The reason for offering 10% to the Song family wasn't just their relationship with Song Qing, but because he needed a powerful backer in the Jiangbei region.
No matter how powerful the Zong family behind Qin Si Yue was, it was still difficult for Yu Zhou if there wasn't a super-strong family in Jiangbei with influence.
Therefore, his desire to bring Song Qing into the fold wasn't solely about Song Qing herself, but about the Song family's capabilities within Jiangbei.
In this sense, the 10% of shares could technically be considered as a concession from Yu Zhou and his partners.
"You mean! These shares are essentially your token of alliance?"
Song Qing looked at Yu Zhou with a hint of amusement. Clearly, she wasn't entirely satisfied or dissatisfied with Yu Zhou's answer.
After all, the Song family had made similar investments over the years, and not just one.
Some had excellent development potential, while others were just average. The Song family didn't accept every offer.
For an enterprise like Yu Zhou's "Three Horses," they naturally wanted to invest, and the more, the better.
This was clearly a highly profitable business. However, in reality, it was already a great privilege to be allowed to participate in someone else's business, let alone to truly gain influence and control.
Song Qing was someone who clearly distinguished between personal and business matters. It was precisely because of this that when discussing these issues with Yu Zhou, she could set aside their personal friendship and consider matters entirely from the Song family's perspective.
This was something that ordinary people found difficult to achieve.
Even Yu Zhou felt a sense of helplessness when he saw her expression.
This person was truly business-minded and cold.