I Treat You as My Sister, But You Want to be My Wife?!
Chapter 88 Decision to Acquire_1

Chapter 88: Chapter 88 Decision to Acquire_1

It was gambling again.

Shen Dong still remembered that the last time Zhou Chengyu gave him one percent of the shares in Qianda Film and Television was because a shareholder of Qianda Film and Television had lost disastrously in gambling in Ao City and had to use his shares to settle the debt to Zhou Chengyu’s father.

Indeed, gambling did great harm to people.

Shen Dong silently warned himself never to get involved in such a thing in the future.

"Mrs. Fan, how many stores does Meizizi Hot Pot have in total?" Shen Dong asked.

"There are thirty stores, all located in Hai City, and we haven’t expanded to other cities yet. Shen Dong, why are you asking so specifically? What are you planning?" Chen Yufang was somewhat curious.

"I’ve been thinking about acquiring a chain hot pot brand, though I haven’t put it into action yet. Now that you’ve mentioned Meizizi Hotpot Restaurant and that it hasn’t been acquired yet, I think it’s an opportunity," Shen Dong said with a smile.

The system had mentioned that Shuidilao’s hot pot chain was booming across the country.

His thought was to take action if there was an opportunity, and otherwise not to.

Now, Chen Yufang said someone wanted to sell a hot pot chain store, and that was an opportunity.

All that was needed was to buy it, rename it, train the staff, and transform it into providing Shuidilao’s exceptional service.

That would be much easier than starting from scratch.

Upon hearing Shen Dong’s words, both Chen Yufang and Chen Yuyan were full of surprise.

"Husband, are you thinking about acquiring Meizizi Hot Pot chain?" Chen Yuyan asked.

"If the financial and asset condition of Meizizi Hot Pot is fine, then I do want to acquire it," Shen Dong nodded.

"Cousin, what is the financial and asset condition of Meizizi Hot Pot like?" Chen Yuyan asked.

"Meizizi Hot Pot is an old hot pot brand in Hai City, it’s been open for over a decade. There aren’t any financial problems, and it has a good reputation, with net profits of about ten million each year for the past three years," Chen Yufang said.

"Only ten million?" Shen Dong was somewhat taken aback.

One should note that his Dongyan Cultural Media Co., Ltd. hadn’t been established for long, yet last month it had a net profit of eight million seven hundred thousand.

According to Wang Jingpeng’s estimates, the profits would exceed ten million by December.

And given the current trend of development, the profits the next year would only be higher.

A hot pot chain that only earned ten million a year.

In Shen Dong’s view, that was really very little.

"Shen Dong, looking at you, I can tell that you don’t understand the hot pot industry,"

"Our firm has audited the financials of several hot pot brands, and not a single company’s net profit reached ten million a year. Some were six to seven million, some even only two to three million,"

"This Meizizi Hot Pot is actually pretty good,"

Chen Yufang knew Shen Dong definitely did not understand the industry upon hearing his words and seeing his expression.

"Alright, I admit that I don’t really understand," Shen Dong said, somewhat embarrassed.

As they were chatting, Chen Yuanxiang had finished cooking and brought the dishes to the table, and the four of them began to eat.

Chen Yuanxiang, upon hearing that Shen Dong wanted to acquire Meizizi Hot Pot chain and enter the catering industry, only said that the industry was quite exhausting. The earnings were hard-earned money, and wouldn’t amount to much.

If he was to enter this industry, he had to be mentally prepared.

"Dad, I understand," Shen Dong responded, knowing his father-in-law meant well and appreciating his concern.

Making hard-earned money was not a concern for him since he planned to hire people to manage it; he would just be a hands-off owner and would not interfere with the daily operational management unless necessary.

As for the concern of not earning much, that was even less of a concern for him.

One should know, the system had stated that Shuidilao Hot Pot was very profitable, with billions in profits every year, and after the company went public, its market value was an astounding hundred billion.

"That’s good," Chen Yuanxiang didn’t say anything more.

In his eyes, this son-in-law was very measured in his actions.

He had made so much money in the futures market, picked up bargains in the antique market, and now was operating a flourishing cultural media company.

Shen Dong, since he wanted to enter the catering industry, surely had his own ideas and didn’t need any fretting from others.

...

Feng Lijuan and Chen Yuting returned home.

"How did it go?" Dong Qikang immediately asked upon their return.

"I tried all I could, but Chen Yuanxiang just wouldn’t rent the storefront to us," Feng Lijuan said.

"He wouldn’t even for a rent of five hundred thousand?" Dong Qikang frowned.

"Yes, and he said he’d rent it to anyone but us. If we want to rent a place in that area, we would have to look for another store," Feng Lijuan explained.

"If that is the case, then we should adopt a two-pronged approach. Look for another store in that area, but don’t give up on Chen Yuanxiang’s spot either. We must continue to vie for it, since the location of his property is unbeatable," Dong Qikang mused.

"I think even if we keep trying, the chances are slim," Feng Lijuan shook her head.

"There’s still hope," Dong Qikang disagreed with Feng Lijuan’s viewpoint, his gaze settling on Chen Yuting, "Yuting, you’re Chen Yuanxiang’s daughter, and you dated Shen Dong for several years. If you step in and persuade Shen Dong to talk to Chen Yuanxiang, Chen Yuanxiang should agree."

Chen Yuting was somewhat displeased, "Shen Dong and I have broken up, and he’s now with my sister. He won’t listen to me."

"So what if you’ve broken up," Dong Qikang said, "In my opinion, Shen Dong still can’t stop thinking about you. Why else would he be with your sister? He’s simply using her as your substitute. If you talk to him, he will certainly soften and listen to you."

"Alright, I’ll find an opportunity to talk to him," Chen Yuting agreed reluctantly, not wanting to argue further.

She agreed, but she had already made up her mind that she would definitely not persuade Shen Dong.

Firstly, she couldn’t lower her pride to persuade Shen Dong.

Secondly, she didn’t want to see Dong Qikang’s hot pot chain plan succeed.

Since she had arrived in this family, she had never felt a shred of warmth from it.

In Dong Qikang’s eyes, his son Dong Junjie was the only one that mattered.

...

Meanwhile, at Shen Dong’s side.

After having dinner and chatting until nine, they parted ways.

On the way home.

"Honey, why did you suddenly want to open a hot pot restaurant?" Chen Yuyan inquired.

"More and more people are enjoying hot pot nowadays, starting a hot pot restaurant is quite good, and if done well, it can be pretty profitable."

"Besides, after acquiring the hot pot restaurant, I can have your dad manage it as the general manager, so he won’t have to stay cooped up in a small eatery anymore," said Shen Dong, making up an excuse on the fly.

During dinner, he had learned about Meizizi Hot Pot through Chen Yufang and had decided it was a good purchase.

After the acquisition, it was obvious that he couldn’t let the original owner manage it.

He had to find someone he trusted for the job.

His father-in-law was an excellent candidate.

Back in the day, the father-in-law was a high-level manager at Xingwang Catering Group, so there was no doubt about his management skills.

"Wouldn’t that be too exhausting for dad?" Chen Yuyan furrowed her brows.

"You know very well what the grudge between my father-in-law and Dong Qikang is like," said Shen Dong.

"This is what I’m thinking: the hot pot chain project of Xingwang Catering Group is led by Dong Qikang."

"By appointing my father-in-law as general manager of my newly acquired hot pot chain, he can compete directly against Dong Qikang, defeat him, and it would be like avenging my father-in-law. What do you think?"

Shen Dong also knew that managing a company would be tough for his father-in-law, but he didn’t have better options at the moment, so he had to let his father-in-law take charge for now and then hire a professional manager later.

To gain his wife’s support, he spun a reason out of thin air.