"49 percent, that's the lowest I can go."
"When doing business together, whether it's in manufacturing or anything else, if both parties are investing, I can only offer you 49 percent. I must have absolute control."
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Zhou argued his case. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
It wasn't that he was in a position of power, but this principle was non-negotiable.
If someone else were running the business, he would never try to seize control from them; he would only seek dividends and necessary rights.
However, if he were to manage it himself, he believed in doing things commensurate with his abilities. Yu Zhou absolutely would not allow control to slip from his grasp.
In fact, even when establishing a factory, having a controlling stake of 51 percent wouldn't be considered entirely safe.
But for Yu Zhou, who was currently in a period of rapid growth, it was best not to nitpick over every detail.
Of course, if a company failed to develop, all these discussions would be moot.
Seeing the resolute look in Yu Zhou's eyes, Qin Siyue suddenly smiled.
She saw ambition in his gaze, as well as uncompromising principles.
Doing business with someone like him, as a partner, might not be something she found entirely unacceptable.
"Alright, I agree. But if this manufacturing venture doesn't pan out later, and you lack the ability to see it through, don't blame me for switching partners mid-game."
Qin Siyue hadn't disappointed Yu Zhou, but she also hadn't completely tied her hands.
Yu Zhou knew this was the likely outcome and simply smiled, not dwelling on it.
As long as he could navigate this period of wild growth, whether he went solo or did something else later, he would profit.
Even if he had to sell his shares in a factory, pursuing his own ventures later wouldn't be a difficult task.
Naturally, if things developed to that point, it would be a matter for the future.
At least for now, Yu Zhou was making a substantial profit.
"Qin Xiaomei, you're finally here! We've been waiting for you for days."
"We recently seized a batch of equipment, and many people have been trying to get it through connections. I only held onto it because you hadn't given the word."
As soon as Qin Siyue appeared at customs, a man in uniform greeted her with a beaming smile and rushed over.
He was well aware of who truly held sway over the handling of seized items at this port and understood his own position.
Of course, these things couldn't be openly discussed.
However, his solicitous behavior was enough for most people to understand Qin Siyue's role at the port.
Strictly speaking, Qin Siyue had no official connection to the port, nor was she on its payroll.
But wasn't business full of countless unspoken rules?
As long as everyone followed the rules, the rules became unbreakable.
Didn't everyone see Qin Siyue start greeting people as soon as she got out of the car?
She knew very well that she was an outsider. While it was possible to make a fortune by leveraging certain things here before the bigger picture became clear, if she ever got too big for her britches and disrespected everyone, those good days would end.
No one was foolish, and Qin Siyue, being exceptionally sharp, naturally understood this.
"I've brought my partner with me this time. You can't hold back; I expect you to show him around."
"Don't hide any good items. Show us what you've got, so we can broaden our horizons."
Qin Siyue spoke with a semblance of humility, but if the customs officer took that as genuine modesty, he would be in for a rude awakening.
Big players, whether they had the talent themselves or had influential family members, didn't matter.
What mattered was that you should never take their words at face value, especially when conducting business.
Indeed, upon hearing that this was Qin Siyue's partner, the customs officer's enthusiasm intensified.
In his mind, anyone who could be Qin Siyue's partner must have unfathomable backing.
He was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend, even if their identity wasn't explicitly stated.
"May I ask for your surname, brother? In the future, if you come to our port, just say the word, and we'll prioritize you with the best items."
While his words were pleasant, neither Yu Zhou nor Qin Siyue took them at face value.
It would be strange if no one could recognize these as polite pleasantries.
He went forward and exchanged pleasantries with the man, regardless of whether the cooperation was ultimately successful.
"What kind of equipment is it that has you so preoccupied?"
Qin Siyue asked with a smile. She had visited this dock countless times.
She knew that anything this man would proactively bring up must be something valuable.
Raising an eyebrow, she became intrigued. In this era, whether it was equipment or anything else, anything that ended up at customs carried significant profit potential.
"You'll see when you look."
Section Chief Zhang gave a mysterious smile and led a few people to a massive warehouse on the right side of the dock.
The warehouse was so large that one could barely see the end of it, filled with stacks of shipping containers and piles of goods beyond imagination.
What entered this warehouse were either smuggled goods that had been confiscated or unclaimed items.
Therefore, even though the volume was immense, it still felt somewhat empty within the warehouse.
"There's grain here too?"
Looking at the piles of grain on the other side, Yu Zhou felt his eyes had been opened.
Did people smuggle this too? Or was it seized for not meeting quality standards?
Logically, smuggling grain wouldn't yield much profit, as domestic grain wasn't that expensive.
However, seeing it stored in this warehouse still struck Yu Zhou as somewhat unbelievable.
"These were seized for being overweight a while back. Among the overweight goods here, grain is the most problematic."
"Generally, if it's not excessive, there's no issue. But if it crosses the line, it will be confiscated.
"However, dealing with grain is too troublesome, so we've accumulated quite a bit and haven't been able to dispose of it."
Section Chief Zhang acted like a tour guide, introducing the situation to Yu Zhou.
As they walked, they finally reached their destination.
It was beside a pile of large machinery.
"This, what is this?"
Yu Zhou was astonished. Seeing these oversized pieces of equipment, he found himself struggling to believe it.
A motorcycle production line?
How could something like this be transported back?