The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 497 - 496: The Eye of Investment

Chapter 497: Chapter 496: The Eye of Investment

If Pei Yang were to register a company, apply for a trademark, and handle the production license for electronic products, it would take at least three to five months, and at most half a year or even a year.

The fastest way to start production would be to acquire a closed-down electronics factory.

But whether acquiring an old electronics factory or starting one from scratch, it would require a significant amount of capital.

Zhou Shuhuan called home for several days, persuading and cajoling, until he finally convinced Ma Sufen to give him the family’s savings for his entrepreneurship.

But this was far from enough.

In the following days, Zhou Shuhuan sought out every relative and friend he could, wearing his lips thin, but in total, he only managed to borrow five thousand yuan.

His past failures were like indelible stains on him; relatives and friends were not optimistic about his business venture, only willing to lend three to five hundred yuan out of consideration for the relationship between their families.

With no other options, Zhou Shuhuan could only turn to Pei Yang.

If it hadn’t been absolutely necessary, he was extremely reluctant to ask Pei Yang for help.

He had come to Fucheng alone, with the goal of proving that he was no less capable than Pei Yang.

Asking Pei Yang for help was undoubtedly admitting defeat in his heart.

"Yang brother, I’ve been thinking of starting an electronics factory recently, but I don’t have enough money. Could you lend me some?"

"How much do you need?"

"I need forty thousand."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Shuhuan grew nervous. Forty thousand was not a small sum, and Pei Yang might not be able to come up with it.

"Alright, no problem."

After learning about Zhou Shuhuan’s entrepreneurial plans and ideas, Pei Yang suddenly changed his mind and decided to treat the forty thousand yuan as an investment.

"Shuhuan, just give me a twenty percent share. If it makes money, I’ll take twenty percent of the profits. If it loses, consider it bad luck on my part, and you don’t have to repay it."

Zhou Shuhuan’s mind was a tumult of emotions.

With the foresight of dreams, he was very confident that he could succeed in this venture. But Pei Yang didn’t know any of this, yet still offered such a substantial amount of money to take the risk with him without a second thought.

Perhaps this was the gap between him and Pei Yang.

He would never be able to be as assured and fearless as Pei Yang.

"Yang brother, shouldn’t you discuss this with your wife first?"

"No need. I can make this decision. Shuhuan, go ahead with confidence, I’ve got your back."

He spoke beautifully, but as soon as the call ended, Pei Yang rushed to Shen Mingzhu’s side, fawning over her like a begging dog.

"... Wife, I have a hunch that Shuhuan will definitely succeed with this. He’s been smart since he was a kid and loves to delve into things. Anyone in the family compound whose radio or TV was broken would look for him to fix it."

"When I was short of money for the wedding, he lent it to me without a second thought. Now that I’m living comfortably, I can’t fail to help him, right?"

Shen Mingzhu gave him a cool look, "You’ve already promised, how could I refuse?"

Pei Yang wrapped his arms around her waist and beamed up at her with a smile, "My wife is the best."

Shen Mingzhu tugged at his ear, "Next time you make a decision without consulting me first, don’t blame me for not giving you face."

"I won’t do it again."

Since it was an investment, the proper procedures still had to be followed to ensure their interests were protected.

After all, their money didn’t just come from thin air.

The next day, Shen Mingzhu entrusted a business lawyer to fly to Fucheng and sign an investment and return contract with Zhou Shuhuan.

Not to affect the brotherly relationship between Pei Yang and Zhou Shuhuan, Shen Mingzhu handled the negotiations and discussions with Zhou Shuhuan herself.

Zhou Shuhuan cooperated throughout and expressed understanding.

After all, he was still coming out ahead; based on the proportion of investment, Pei Yang could have demanded fifty percent or even more.

Once the lawyer had the contract signed with Zhou Shuhuan, Shen Mingzhu transferred the forty thousand yuan directly into Zhou Shuhuan’s account.

With this matter resolved, Shen Mingzhu began to focus on the opening of the new Shenji store.

"President Shen, here are the background checks for several new kitchen staff. There are no issues with the others, but this Han Zibin, his father is Zhai Huankui."

Shen Mingzhu listened to the name and felt it sounded familiar. Without thinking much, she asked, "Doesn’t he share his last name with his father?"

"Yeah, he is Zhai Huankui’s illegitimate son."

As Shen Mingzhu flipped through the documents, she finally remembered that Zhai Huankui was the founder of Fushunlai.

Fushunlai was one of the top restaurant brands within the province, boasting more than a dozen branches.

Coming from such a strong family background yet working incognito at her modest Shenji, he must have some ulterior motive.

Shen Mingzhu decided to meet this Han Zibin.

When she met him, Shen Mingzhu was slightly surprised.

At first glance, she found him very handsome, and at second glance, he even bore a resemblance to a certain superstar in Hong City.

Considering that, his mother’s looks must have been no less stunning, no wonder she became Zhai Huankui’s mistress.

Shen Mingzhu got straight to the point, "The young master of Fushunlai, what brings you to my humble Shenji?"

Han Zibin was somewhat taken aback, seemingly not expecting his background to be uncovered.

"President Shen, although I am Zhai Huankui’s son, I have nothing to do with Fushunlai."

Shen Mingzhu raised an eyebrow, "Go on, explain."

Besides Han Zibin, Zhai Huankui had seven other sons and eight daughters, all bearing their mothers’ surnames except for those born to his legal wife.

Where there are people, there are rivalries.

And in a family as disorderly as the Zhai’s, internal strife was intense, with hardly a day of peace.

Han Zibin’s mother died when he was ten, and he had lived a hard life under the jurisdiction of the legal wife ever since—it was not hard to imagine how difficult those years had been.

"President Shen, I came to Shenji just to earn a living. I did not disclose my background because I want nothing to do with the Zhai family."

Shen Mingzhu, with her hands crossed under her chin, looked at him with interest, "Up to this point, I don’t see any value in you. On the contrary, your presence poses a high risk to Shenji."

Taken aback for a moment, Han Zibin gave a wry smile, "I understand what you mean, President Shen. I’ll go pack my things."

"Actually, staying is not impossible."

Shen Mingzhu smiled slightly, "I am a genuine food enthusiast, and I am very interested in Fushunlai’s Dongpo pork. If you can provide me with the recipe, you can not only stay at Shenji, but I could also reserve the Head Chef position for you at the next new restaurant."

"I’m sorry, President Shen, but I can’t meet your request."

Having said that, Han Zibin turned to leave.

Shen Mingzhu called after his retreating figure, "What if I can assure you it won’t be leaked and not used for business?"

Han Zibin turned back to look at her, "Even if the Zhai family is full of flaws, it is still the place that raised me. Even if I cannot protect it, I will not betray it."

Clap clap clap.

Shen Mingzhu stood up and applauded.

Amid Han Zibin’s bewildered gaze, Shen Mingzhu spoke with a smile, "Congratulations, you’ve passed my test."

Shen Mingzhu was herself a living cookbook, and thus she hardly coveted a single dish from Fushunlai.

Initially, she had intended to politely send the person away, but after meeting Han Zibin, she changed her mind.

There had been too many interviewees before, and she hadn’t paid attention to each one’s appearance.

Only today did she realize that not only was Han Zibin handsome, but he also had a striking resemblance to a certain superstar.

With such a handsome Head Chef cooking on-site, how could wealthy women not love it?

And her test for Han Zibin was also shrewd.

She hadn’t boldly demanded all of the signature dish recipes from Fushunlai, merely a modest Dongpo pork recipe.

Even if that dish were revealed, it wouldn’t have any substantial impact on Fushunlai.

Someone with even a slightly weaker resolve might have taken the bait.

However, Han Zibin’s final words impressed her.

"Even if I can’t protect, I will never be a betrayer. Han Zibin, I hope you can stick to what you’ve said."