The term "coal boss" wasn't very famous in this era.
However, as a major force in the business world later on, these individuals became objects of apprehension for almost all businessmen.
Why? The reason was simple: they hardly played by any business rules.
What seemed impossible in your eyes, they often pursued with relish.
Under such circumstances, even Yu Zhou felt an unimaginable sense of caution towards them.
Why did even the Song family feel so apprehensive about this group of people?
The primary reason was their genuine capability, to the point where even local power brokers were helpless if these coal bosses chose to disregard them.
Strong capital would not typically intervene in industries one didn't understand.
But these words were nonsense when applied to coal bosses.
Who wouldn't want to earn more money? Moreover, these coal bosses possessed a natural advantage that others lacked.
That was the cash flow, something most people wouldn't even dare to imagine.
Why did they arouse everyone's fear? Wasn't it because of that terrifying cash flow?
Such an extremely terrifying cash flow was something even a well-known entrepreneur wouldn't dare to dream of.
Was the richest man in the country rich? Well, nominally, he was already the wealthiest in the nation.
But if his assets were in the hundreds of millions or billions, were those truly all his assets?
It was merely the value of his shares and the company's worth, translated into assets.
It was a completely different concept compared to bosses who genuinely held large sums of cash.
Keep in mind, for a big boss with a net worth of tens or even hundreds of billions, taking out a single hundred million from his own hands was an incredibly difficult, even impossible, feat.
Even selling off his shares wouldn't suffice.
Take Yu Zhou, for example. His net worth must be around ten to twenty million now, right?
But if he wanted to sell all his shares, he would ultimately only be able to get a few million.
And that would be for selling all his own shares.
Why? Because the reason many people valued your company so highly was because they saw its development potential, not its actual value.
Furthermore, Yu Zhou himself was a part of that value.
Therefore, whether it was Yu Zhou or other businessmen, they all understood clearly that a net worth of one hundred million and possessing one hundred million in cash were two entirely different concepts.
This was precisely why even the Song family inevitably felt apprehensive about those coal bosses.
"So that's how it is. Now that you've explained it, I understand a bit better."
Yu Zhou's expression began to show a hint of comprehension.
As Song Qing had said, this was also a form of desperation for the Song family.
After all, when facing bosses like that, one couldn't help but consider other factors.
It could be said that it was precisely because of these things that Yu Zhou understood their situation. However, even if he were in the same position, it would still be difficult to handle; it was truly a significant hurdle.
"That boss surnamed Jia is quite famous in the north."
"Even though his mines have been making substantial profits recently, he's been focused on transformation. The collaboration with Tailong Light Industry was established around that time."
"Even though our Song family isn't particularly keen on continuing to cooperate with such bosses, we can't simply say so."
Song Qing herself was a very rational businesswoman.
Given her existing cooperation with this coal boss, she shouldn't have spoken this way.
However, it still depended on whether the Song family genuinely wanted these coal bosses involved in their business.
Business always involved mutual compromises.
Why did Yu Zhou choose the Song family to invest in his company? Wasn't that essentially a result of compromise?
Otherwise, for maximum profit, attracting capital wouldn't be such a good idea at this moment.
It was precisely for this reason that Yu Zhou's expectations for the cooperation with the Song family might not have been very high.
"Sorry! Sorry… apologies, I'm late due to some unforeseen circumstances."
"Mr. Yu, I apologize here."
Suddenly, just as Yu Zhou and Song Qing were discussing how to finally handle this matter, a senior member of the Yu family finally arrived.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Song Nanfei, Xiao Qing's third uncle."
"I had some urgent matters to attend to just now, so I was delayed. Mr. Yu, please don't let my mistake affect the cooperation between our two families."
From the moment he arrived, Song Nanfei adopted a very humble demeanor.
He gave the impression of a child who had made a mistake, but it was precisely this attitude that made Yu Zhou puzzled. It didn't seem right.
Song Nanfei, in any case, was a senior figure in the business world, even considerably higher in seniority than himself.
Even if he wanted to cooperate, adopting a respectful and deferential attitude would suffice.
Why would he present himself in such a manner? Such extreme humility, let alone him, no one could guarantee there weren't any hidden motives.
However, the subsequent detailed discussions went rather smoothly.
After all the details were ironed out, both parties were simply waiting to sign the contract and for the funds to be transferred.
There was no doubt, the cooperation between the two parties had been largely decided beforehand.
Therefore, as long as both parties still intended to cooperate, the final negotiations were insignificant.
At most, it was just a matter of deliberating on details and drafting the contract.
Yu Zhou could now let go of these matters, and coupled with his apprehension towards the so-called Boss Jia, it was inevitable that he would be somewhat distracted at this moment.
The dinner lasted for two hours. After the details and everything else were finalized, the gathering dispersed.
"Third Uncle, I'll see him out."
Song Qing offered to do so after the dinner concluded, while Tang Long had already been seen off by the "enthusiastic" Song family members.
"Are you trying to tell me that it's not your responsibility?"
Yu Zhou, being exceptionally astute, immediately guessed why Song Qing wanted to speak to him alone.
However, what he couldn't understand was why, if she wanted to say this, she had asked him to bring his wife earlier.
Could it be that she knew he wouldn't bring Jiang Jie to a dinner party like this tonight?