Chapter 345: A Deal Struck at the Eleventh Hour

Manager Jiang and his female secretary had just gotten into the car when Boss Zhou nearly choked in frustration.

“Honey, our son seems so confident about this, why not let him handle it? Just now Manager Jiang tried his hardest to lowball us, he started at only fifteen hundred per ton. It was only because our son refused to budge that the final offer shot up to thirty thousand. If it were you and me in charge, I bet the moment they offered fifteen thousand we’d have already agreed to sell.”

Zhou Can’s mother tried to reassure her husband.

A mother knows her son best.

She had a lot of faith in how her son performed this time.

“Children grow up, you can’t control them forever. Alright, alright, do what you want! If things go wrong, your mom and I will probably spend the rest of our lives drowned in debt.” Boss Zhou had no choice but to accept reality.

Giving his son the reins meant Boss Zhou was finally admitting, even if indirectly, that his son was grown enough to handle the family’s big decisions.

This kind of transfer or handover of power happened most in ancient times, especially in royal families and powerful clans.

Back then, emperors and family heads would never give up their power until their dying breath.

But now, with competition fiercer and the world moving forward, lots of company bosses prefer to step back as they get older.

Just as Boss Zhou was stewing in regret, he heard the sound of a car engine outside. He looked up and a small smile broke out on his face.

“They’re back!”

“Ready to admit our son’s got what it takes now?” his wife said with a laugh.

“Heh, that rascal really has grown up, he does have some real skill.”

Boss Zhou had to give his son credit.

The car door opened and Manager Jiang and the secretary got out, heading straight for the office building.

At that moment, Zhou Can was busy calming down impatient creditors.

All the workers’ wages had already been settled by the third day. To be honest, their salaries were just a drop in the bucket—Zhou Can could cover them easily.

Now, the main creditors were the suppliers. Though, compared to suppliers, banks were on a whole different level.

Banks only sent people over to discuss twice before giving a final deadline. If you can’t pay, no problem—see you in court.

Besides, taking out a bank loan always involved collateral or a guarantor. The bank never feared you’d skip town. They could just auction off your assets or take your guarantor straight to court.

Suppliers and the Zhou family were just partners in business. If Boss Zhou and his wife ran, the suppliers would be left helpless.

Even if it went to court, workers and banks always got paid out from liquidated assets first.

Only whatever scraps were left would be split among the suppliers.

“Mr. Zhou, I just got off the phone with our East Asia director. There’s still room to negotiate on price.”

The female secretary smiled at Zhou Can as she spoke.

The sharp-eyed suppliers nearby exchanged hopeful glances.

Looks like there’s hope of getting paid after all.

“Please, let’s talk in the office over some tea!”

Zhou Can smiled too, making a gesture to invite her and Manager Jiang inside.

Once inside, Zhou Can poured tea for the two of them himself. After they’d all sat down, the secretary, clearly impatient, got straight to the point.

“Mr. Zhou, we’re willing to go as high as thirty-five thousand per ton. Can you agree to that? That’s really the best we can do!”

“No way. I want one hundred twenty thousand per ton.”

Zhou Can didn’t even blink as he shot her down.

“You—don’t push it! One hundred twenty thousand per ton? Might as well be selling gold!”

Manager Jiang was so angry his face turned red.

“Gold goes for far more than one hundred twenty thousand a ton. Right now, the spot price is nearly four hundred thousand per kilo.”

Zhou Can replied with a poker face.

“Alright, thirty-six thousand. That’s our limit.” The secretary began bargaining in earnest.

“No deal!” Zhou Can, knowing exactly who they were and what was at stake, stayed cool and confident.

Letting the other party see your bottom line is the last thing you want in negotiations.

Nine times out of ten, it means you’ll get completely taken advantage of.

……

After a round of intense bargaining, they finally settled on the jaw-dropping price of sixty-two thousand per ton.

Food typically has a profit margin of thirty to forty percent. Sixty-two thousand a ton was a sky-high number. Zhou Can’s initial one hundred twenty thousand asking price was just shooting for the moon, planning to sit back while they bargained it down.

No matter whether Stinson bought this batch or not, someone was going to fall into the trap.

“Ms. Vinia, the purchase price is set. But when it comes to signing, I’m afraid we’ll need your company’s official legal representative or someone with the proper authorization.”

Zhou Can was quite satisfied with the outcome.

They’d reached pretty much the highest price the other side could accept.

By now he wasn’t even bothering to speak to Manager Jiang anymore. The man had no say at all.

“To be honest, I’m actually Meida Import & Export’s legal representative. I’ve brought both the company seal and the finance stamp—we can sign the contract right now.”

For the first time, she admitted who she really was.

She must have known Zhou Can had already figured it out. No point hiding anymore.

“Well, I didn’t see that coming! My apologies!”

Zhou Can grinned and shook her hand again.

“Our factory deals mainly in small business, as you saw—lots of suppliers waiting for payments. Our rule is: no credit. Cash on delivery, everything settled on the spot.”

The biggest advantage of a seller’s market is you don’t have to sell on credit.

“No need to worry, Mr. Zhou. Our company is very strong financially. Cash payment’s no issue at all.”

She agreed readily.

“I’ll call my mom over to sign. She’s our company’s legal rep. You two enjoy your tea for a bit.”

With that, Zhou Can left the office.

Out in the hallway, Boss Zhou and his wife were both anxiously waiting. But their son had insisted they not come in, to avoid ruining the deal.

No matter how anxious they were, they could only wait.

When Zhou Can stepped out of the office, both parents stood bolt upright, eager for news.

“You rascal, did you seal the deal?”

“They only offered sixty thousand a ton. I turned them down, deal’s off.”

Zhou Can was in high spirits after closing the deal.

He decided to play a little trick on his parents.

“What—sixty thousand a ton and you said no? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Without waiting, Boss Zhou tried to storm into the office.

This time, if his son wavered, he was determined to finish the deal himself.

He couldn’t afford to gamble anymore.

“Ha, look how worked up you are! The buyer already agreed to sixty-two thousand per ton. I just called Mom inside to sign. I also demanded cash up front—no credit, everything settled on the spot.”

Grinning, Zhou Can broke the good news to his parents.

“Really?”

Boss Zhou could hardly believe his ears.

“When have I ever lied to you?” Zhou Can was all smiles.

“Haha, this is amazing! Honey, hurry up and grab the stamp and go sign. Not only have we finally sold the goods, but at a price I never even dreamed of! Am I really not dreaming?”

Boss Zhou couldn’t stop grinning.

He pinched his own arm—hard enough to make his face twist up in pain—and drew in a sharp breath. But in his heart, he was flying.

It didn’t take long for both sides to sign the contract. The other company was so straightforward, they paid on the spot: sixty-two thousand per ton for eight hundred tons. The full forty-nine point six million landed right in the company’s account.

When Zhou Can’s mother received the notification, she was over the moon. The wrinkles on her forehead and in the corners of her eyes even seemed to fade.

Meida Import & Export seemed to be in a hurry; the moment the contract was signed, they sent a fleet of trucks to take away all eight hundred tons. With that, the deal was settled in full.

Inside the office, both Boss Zhou and his wife wore enormous grins. All the stress from the past days finally melted off their faces.

Pure joy and relief took its place.

“Son, you’re amazing! I still can’t believe this is real. For more than a month now, your dad and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep, worried sick about these goods that just wouldn’t sell. Who would’ve thought that as soon as you stepped in, you’d not only sell them but at such a crazy price.”

“That rascal really has gotten sharp. But I have to ask—how is Meida Import & Export going to earn a profit at this price?”

Boss Zhou was a veteran of the industry and knew pricing inside and out.

Even the retail price can hardly hit sixty-two thousand a ton. How are they making money?

Still, judging by their eagerness, the company must expect to turn a good profit.

“Dad, let’s not worry about that. By the way, out of the forty-nine point six million from this sale, we need to set aside eight hundred thousand for someone else—as a sales commission.” Zhou Can told his parents.

“No problem! I’d give eight million, let alone eight hundred thousand, if we keep making deals like this.”

Zhou Can’s mother held the final say when it came to the family finances.

When it came to money, she was the one who called the shots.

“Son, I knew you’d found a way. Tell me—how’d you manage to sell off those unsellable goods?”

His mother was dying to know.

His father was just as eager, leaning in to hear Zhou Can’s secret sales tactic.

He’d been buying and selling his whole life, but this trick completely stumped him.

“Let’s just say this isn’t something you can pick up, even if you wanted to. All you need to know is: it was all about profit. Mom, I’ll write down an account number. Just transfer the eight hundred thousand there and write ‘Thanks’ as the note.”

Zhou Can pulled out his phone and handed his mother a bank account number.

In truth, that eight hundred thousand wasn’t actually a sales commission, but was going to Yin Qin as compensation for helping him set a trap for Stinson—using his own tricks against him.

The company Yin Qin worked for was the one that signed the contract with Stinson, so she was responsible for the penalty.

Having done him such a huge favor, Zhou Can could hardly make her pay out of pocket.

Eight hundred thousand looked hefty, but against the forty-nine million in sales, it was nothing.

This time, it was going to be Stinson sobbing in the bathroom.

“Now that the factory’s got this funding, I believe you two can bring it right back to life. Management is officially back in your hands.”

Having steered the family out of bankruptcy, Zhou Can could now go back to being the carefree heir and doctor he really was.

“Your dad and I really are getting old. All because we were stuck in the past, we nearly went bankrupt from this crisis. Why don’t you quit being a doctor and come run the factory?”

After seeing her son’s skill, his mother was desperate for him to take charge.

“Come on, son, stay here! This really is the young people’s era now!”

Boss Zhou echoed her, genuinely pleading.

“If you two truly feel like it’s time for a break, you could always hire a professional manager. That’s how almost all family businesses operate these days. Let the experts handle the daily grind; you just keep hold of the big decisions.”

Zhou Can had his own dreams and goals.

Sure, being the rich second generation and inheriting the family business wasn’t bad.

But there were win-win options too—by bringing in a skilled manager and letting them set up proper systems, you could stay in control while focusing on the bigger picture.

That way, the company’s power always stayed with the family, and major choices were still yours to make.

If your professional manager wasn’t cutting it, you could replace them anytime.

That’s the secret to making a company last—and keeping the family business strong for generations.

“How could I trust someone else to run the factory?”

Boss Zhou was still stuck in old ways, thinking that giving up management meant handing everything over.

“Dad, come on—laws and systems are so much better now! Professional managers can only work for us. If they ever mess around, you can just fire them and get someone better.”

Since Zhou Can had come home, it was the perfect time to share some new management ideas with his parents.

He’d learned quite a bit from starting a company with Mr. Li.

He understood management and operations, at least a little.

“So the law actually helps that much?”

Boss Zhou’s eyes lit up at that.

“Absolutely! Plenty of listed companies and major firms run on professional managers, while the chairman goes traveling around the world, living the high life on a yacht.”

Zhou Can encouraged his parents to try hiring a professional manager.

At the very least, planting the seed would get them to start learning about modern management, and eventually, things would fall into place.

“That sounds good! When the time comes, I’ll take your mom to see the world too.” Boss Zhou had risen from nothing, so he definitely had guts and vision.

All he really lacked was a bit of modern know-how.

After this ordeal, his confidence in his son was nearly blind—maybe even admiring. He believed everything Zhou Can said completely.

People say that the world’s most successful can do no wrong—sometimes it’s really true.

If Zhou Can hadn’t saved the family from bankruptcy, Boss Zhou would’ve just brushed off everything he said as nonsense.

“Heh, we’re not getting any younger. All I want now is to see you settle down—find a nice wife and give me a couple of grandkids and I’ll be happy.”

She said she didn’t care about traveling, but his mom was glowing inside.

The happiness on her face was almost overflowing.

The two parents sometimes squabbled, but their bond had always been strong.

They’d always been faithful and loyal to each other, devoted to both marriage and family.

That set a great example for Zhou Can.

Otherwise, with everything he had, any man in his shoes could easily become a playboy.

And it wasn’t just anyone throwing themselves at him—they were all stunning and well-educated. Any man would dream of such women.

“Dad, Mom, now that things are settled, I’m going to take Qian Qian out. She’s been at my old home with me for four days now. We’re heading off tomorrow, so I want to show her around a bit more—maybe help her fall in love with this place.”

With that, Zhou Can left some private time for his parents.