Chapter 162 Acquiring the Company

After finishing their meal, Zhang Wei drove Wang Min toward her real estate agency. Guided by Wang Min, Zhang Wei parked the car right in front of an agency office, above whose main entrance hung a sign reading "Meijia Real Estate Company."

Stepping out of the vehicle, Zhang Wei surveyed the surrounding environment. Meijia Real Estate was situated at the intersection of two bustling commercial streets, boasting a superior geographical location and a massive volume of pedestrian traffic. It could truly be called a prime spot.

The surrounding areas of these two bustling streets were filled with high-end residential communities, with the average price of each apartment exceeding ten million, and several villa complexes alone stood in the vicinity. Opening an agency branch here was undoubtedly far more lucrative than staying near the Yayuan community.

Just as Zhang Wei and Wang Min stepped out of the car, a woman emerged from the Meijia Real Estate office. She appeared to be around thirty years of age, with delicate features, a slightly tanned complexion, and a well-maintained figure.

"Wang Min, you're back! And who might this gentleman be?" The woman first glanced at Zhang Wei's BMW 730, then looked him up and down before asking with a smile.

"This is my former colleague, Zhang Wei. We happened to run into each other while looking at properties earlier, so I invited him over to our shop for a visit," Wang Min explained.

"Hello, my name is Zhang Wei," Zhang Wei said with a smile, nodding at the woman as a greeting.

"Hello, my name is Li Zhaodi. You can just call me Zhaodi," the woman said very politely.

"Come on inside, Zhang Wei, and see how our shop looks," Wang Min said, making a polite gesture with her hand.

Zhang Wei acknowledged with a nod and followed the two women into Meijia Real Estate.

Once inside, Zhang Wei observed that the shop floor area was nearly a hundred square meters, with a separate office partitioned off to one side. Three agents were busy at work, who appeared to be the store's sales representatives.

"Have a seat, Zhang Wei. I'll go pour you a cup of water," Wang Min said with a smile, leading Zhang Wei to the reception sofa.

"Thank you."

While Zhang Wei sat on the sofa observing the interior decoration of the shop, Wang Min and Li Zhaodi walked over to the side office. Li Zhaodi pulled the door half-shut and asked, "Wang Min, did you bring this colleague of yours to our shop because you want to get him to join us?"

"What do you think?" Wang Min countered.

"I think he's quite suitable! Just the BMW he drives is worth over a million. I just don't know if he'd be willing to work with us."

"I only probed him about it earlier, and he didn't give me a direct answer. I'm not sure yet if he'll agree."

"I'd say the chances are pretty high. The fact that he was willing to follow you to our shop proves he must have some interest in this direction—or else he has an interest in you! Heehee." Li Zhaodi playfully brushed her hand against Wang Min's perky bust and giggled.

"Stop messing around. You always veer off into nonsense," Wang Min brushed her hand away and chided.

"Seriously, Wang Min, you have to find a way to get him to join! Otherwise, our shop won't be able to stay in business. We won't even be able to afford next month's rent..." Li Zhaodi's voice trailed off as a trace of distress appeared on her face.

Previously, Wang Min and two others had partnered up to open this company. However, one of the partners decided to quit, leaving only her and Li Zhaodi to prop up the storefront, and their funds were already running dry.

If no new partners joined, the company might go bankrupt by next month. By then, the money the two of them had invested in the early stages would go down the drain. That was why they had been searching for new partners these past few days, and Zhang Wei's appearance had given them a glimmer of hope.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best to win him over," Wang Min said solemnly.

Although Wang Min had agreed to it out loud, she didn't harbor much confidence in her heart. Her relationship with Zhang Wei back at the Yayuan branch had been ordinary, and she would occasionally throw a sarcastic remark his way. Now, having to turn around and beg him to invest in her was a disparity she found rather difficult to accept.

When she walked out of the office, Wang Min had already put on a smiling face and showed a bit more warmth toward Zhang Wei. She held a cup of warm water in both hands and placed it before him, then began introducing the surrounding market conditions of the branch.

Zhang Wei listened very attentively, occasionally interjecting with a question or two. Although he was already the store manager of the Yayuan branch, opening a real estate agency of his own was clearly far more complex and tedious.

First, one had to find a good location for the company, purchase office supplies such as desks, chairs, sofas, and computers, and then register a real estate agency by handling registration, taxation, banking, and filing procedures. Finally, one had to recruit experienced sales agents. Every single step had to be handled meticulously; if even one link failed, it would delay the progress of the entire office setup.

After talking with Wang Min for another dozen minutes, Zhang Wei announced that he had to take his leave. Wang Min proactively walked him out. With three regular sales agents present in the shop, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to invite Zhang Wei to join right in front of them, as that could easily destabilize the team's morale.

Once outside the shop, as she watched Zhang Wei getting into his car, Wang Min bit her red lips and asked, "Zhang Wei, what I said earlier about inviting you to join our company was truly sincere. I hope you'll give it serious consideration."

"Oh? Do you want me to be a regular sales agent, or do you want me to buy shares in the company?" Zhang Wei asked, not in any rush to leave as he fixed his gaze on Wang Min.

"I'd like to invite you to become a shareholder in our company. That way, the company can develop faster and grow stronger," Wang Min said.

"Let me ask you a question, and I hope you won't mind," Zhang Wei said with a smile.

"Go ahead, ask," Wang Min replied.

"Is your company experiencing financial trouble?" Zhang Wei asked.

"How did you know?" Wang Min asked, somewhat surprised. She hadn't mentioned the company's operational status to Zhang Wei, and she had no idea how he had deduced it.

"I guessed," Zhang Wei said with a faint smile on his face.

The fact that Wang Min and Li Zhaodi dared to start a company on their own proved that they were not people content with mediocrity; they certainly wanted to make more money. Adding another shareholder would dilute their profits, which ran counter to their initial goal of maximizing their returns. Only when their funds were depleted to the point of unsustainability would they be forced by necessity to bring in outside investors.

As for why Wang Min hadn't realized this earlier, it was simply a case of being too close to the situation to see it clearly.

"Our funds are indeed a bit tight, but the performance of this storefront is still quite good. Would you be willing to invest?" Seeing that Zhang Wei had already guessed the company's situation, Wang Min stopped hiding it and asked with a hint of anticipation.

"Well..." Zhang Wei hesitated, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "I do want to open an agency myself, but I won't partner with anyone. I want sole ownership!"

"What do you mean? Sole ownership?" Hearing Zhang Wei's words, Wang Min froze for a moment before snapping back to reality and asking in astonishment.

"That's right. If your company truly cannot stay afloat, you can consider transferring it to me," Zhang Wei said.

"Zhang Wei, aren't you being too greedy? Zhaodi and I put all our savings of these past few years into opening this agency, and you want to snatch it away with just a casual remark?" Wang Min said with a measure of indignation.

"Hah, don't get excited. I merely said I want a wholly-owned company; I didn't say I would definitely acquire yours. If you aren't willing, just pretend I never said anything," Zhang Wei said.

"We will only look for partners, not sell the company," Wang Min stated firmly.

"Don't speak so definitively. People change in the face of reality. Besides, I can promise you that even if I acquire this agency, I will still hire you to be the store manager," Zhang Wei said.

"Store manager? Is this supposed to be some sort of perk you're offering me?" Wang Min countered.

"Consider it a form of compensation from me as a friend," Zhang Wei said with a sincere expression.

What Zhang Wei said on the surface sounded noble and magnanimous, as if he valued his relationship with Wang Min deeply. In truth, it was simply because he couldn't find anyone else suitable, while Wang Min had decent professional skills and the ability to manage a branch. This happened to solve his current problem.

Ever since Zhang Wei entered the real estate agency industry, he had developed a minor obsession with properties. Whenever he saw a house with a great location, layout, and fine renovation, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction accompanied by a strong desire to possess it.

The moment Zhang Wei laid eyes on the location of Meijia Real Estate, he had already fallen in love with the storefront. It occupied a prime location with a massive influx of walk-in clients, and since Wang Min's agency was already operating normally, Zhang Wei could simply acquire it and start making money immediately, sparing himself the trouble of setting everything up step by step from scratch.

The most crucial issue, however, was talent. Zhang Wei didn't have anyone he could completely trust on hand; he needed someone like Wang Min to help him oversee the company. Although the two of them frequently clashed, they still shared a foundation of mutual trust—otherwise, they wouldn't have considered rooming together in the first place.

"This company was founded jointly by Zhaodi and me. I can't make that decision by myself," Wang Min's attitude softened somewhat upon hearing Zhang Wei's promise.

"That's fine. The two of you can go back and discuss it. Selling the company to me will allow you to recoup some of your investment capital, which is far better than facing total bankruptcy and losing everything," Zhang Wei said with a smile.

"Zhang Wei, are you threatening us?" Hearing this, Wang Min said with a trace of displeasure, "You're still as annoying as ever."

"No problem. If we have the chance to work together again, you'll get used to it over time." Zhang Wei wanted to provoke her; only by doing so could he push the two of them to make a decision sooner.

"I'd rather not have the chance to work with you. I have no desire to be your employee and suffer your exploitation and oppression," Wang Min glared at Zhang Wei and muttered inwardly.

"This is my current business card. Whenever you've made up your mind, feel free to call me!" Zhang Wei handed a business card to Wang Min, waved goodbye, and then got into his car and drove away.

"Ha! Is this what they mean by inviting a wolf into the house?" Watching the BMW pull away, Wang Min said with helpless resignation.

Wang Min looked down at Zhang Wei's business card. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, but then her delicate eyes widened wider and wider as she cried out in astonishment:

"Zhongtong Company, Yayuan Branch... Store Manager, Zhang Wei!"