Life in the capital was comfortable for Qin Chuan, as everything in the laboratory was progressing smoothly.
During the day, he would visit the lab for a while, occasionally granting small favors to his subordinates, winning their hearts. At night, the fiery Alisha would keep him warm in bed.
Sometimes, he would go drinking with the young masters Ye Huai'an and Zhong Dongyao at bars, enjoying the dancers and living a life of sheer indulgence.
When he had time, he would drop by Liu Dongqiang's place to discuss ideas for Jingxi Mall and offer some cutting-edge directions.
He had previously promised Liu Dongqiang that he would provide a sum of money to invest in the Jingxi Mall project they were undertaking.
Seizing this opportunity, Qin Chuan finally fulfilled his promise. He contributed two million yuan and acquired a twenty percent stake in Jingxi Mall.
This percentage was Qin Chuan's own request, and it deeply moved Liu Dongqiang. At that time, Jingxi Mall was merely an embryo, not even yet a fledgling. Yet, Qin Chuan had injected two million yuan and only took twenty percent equity.
In Liu Dongqiang's eyes, this was an immense support for his entrepreneurial endeavor. Having such a friend was wonderful!
Little did he know that in a few years, Jingxi Mall would grow into one of the largest e-commerce giants in the country, with a total valuation in the hundreds of billions.
Twenty percent equity would represent an enormous asset, immense in value.
Perhaps some might wonder why Qin Chuan didn't invest more money to secure a larger stake, given the high potential return.
With his current financial standing, investing an additional one or two million yuan would have been effortless.
This is where the difference between a professional businessman and an amateur lies.
Qin Chuan wasn't unaware of Jingxi Mall's future value; being a reborn individual, he knew it intimately. Every additional share of equity would bring immense future returns.
However, Qin Chuan forcefully resisted this temptation. He too was an entrepreneur and understood the hardships and psychological struggles faced by those embarking on such ventures.
When a project belongs entirely to its creators, they will fight tooth and nail to protect it, like parents shielding their child, no matter the difficulties.
But if a project developer has too small a stake, it can significantly diminish their enthusiasm and even lead to various unforeseen issues. After all, when one invests effort, they naturally feel the pinch if they perceive themselves as being at a disadvantage.
Qin Chuan himself was such a person. For instance, in the butterfly clothing factory he co-founded with Li Ya, he had only a ten percent stake. Consequently, Qin Chuan eventually stopped actively participating, only offering advice occasionally.
Even with the "Shendun Storage Cabinet" project at Xinhua Electronics Factory, because his stake was lower than Ye Meiyun's and he wasn't the controlling shareholder, he moved on to other ventures once the product was successfully developed.
Considering these past experiences, Qin Chuan rejected the immense temptation and settled for twenty percent equity in Jingxi Mall.
This proportion was very cleverly chosen. It allowed him to reap sufficient benefits without dampening Liu Dongqiang's entrepreneurial drive.
One day, Qin Chuan was in a meeting at the laboratory when his phone rang. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar number.
Upon seeing the caller ID, Qin Chuan immediately apologized to everyone and stepped outside, phone in hand.
"Qin Chuan, you're quite resilient. It's been over a month, and that darn factory is still holding on!"
After the call was connected, a sarcastic voice drawled.
Qin Chuan frowned, unsure if it was his imagination, but Liu An's voice seemed even more sinister than before.
"Old man, you're like a persistent ghost. So much time has passed, and you're still holding a grudge against me!"
Internally, he wanted to say, "It's only been a little over a month. Have your two severed arms healed yet?"
According to Zheng Chengdao, on that night, the tendons of both of Liu An's arms were severed with knives, and his arm bones were crushed into pieces by fists. Such injuries would render Liu An's arms useless for life.
However, such words were obviously out of the question. Doing so would be revealing too much. The Han family had kept Liu An's incident under wraps, and outsiders were completely unaware of it.
If Qin Chuan were to reveal even the slightest clue, he would immediately become the prime suspect, and the consequences would be tenfold what they were now.
"Haha!"
Liu An burst into laughter upon hearing Qin Chuan's words.
"My Han family always acts decisively. If we draw the bow, we shoot the arrow. You low-born scumbag dared to offend my Han family, so prepare for endless retribution!"
"If we don't destroy you, we'll write the surname of my Han family backward!"
Liu An threatened menacingly.
Qin Chuan's brows furrowed tightly. His earlier feeling was correct; after suffering severe injuries, Liu An's disposition seemed to have changed drastically, becoming even more ruthless than before.
Could it be that the other party, unable to find the culprit, was venting all his anger on him?
The more Qin Chuan pondered this, the more likely it seemed. He couldn't help but clench his fists.
Was this a case of bullying the weak?
But soon, he smiled silently. Judging by the old man's words, he didn't know that his electronics factory had already found new partners in Yangcheng and was still lost in a pipe dream. If that was the case, then let them enjoy their delusion for a while longer!
Qin Chuan was content with the situation. He had no choice but to admit that the Han family was indeed very powerful, and at present, he was no match for them.
Having no desire to bicker with the old man, Qin Chuan directly hung up the phone. He then thought for a moment and called Ye Meiyun, inquiring about the production progress with their partners in Yangcheng and when the goods could be shipped.
Since the incident, Xinhua Electronics Factory had slowed down its production for over a month, striving to maintain stable operations.
Even so, after more than a month, their reserves of various materials were nearing depletion. They urgently needed to procure new production materials to continue meeting the demands of their franchisees.
Due to the slowdown in production over the past month, many franchisees had begun to complain about the insufficient supply, which was entirely inadequate to meet their needs.
"Boss, I've been in contact with our partners in Yangcheng these past few days. In about five days, they can ship the first batch of electronic components!"
Ye Meiyun replied.
Qin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. After chatting with Ye Meiyun about a few more things, he hung up the phone and immediately called Manager Peng, inquiring about the production progress.
Manager Peng informed him that the first batch of goods would be delivered perfectly within another week.
At this point, Qin Chuan was finally at ease. He eagerly anticipated the surprised reaction of that old man Liu An when he eventually learned of all this...