Chapter 122: Successful Acquisition
After the beautiful Miss Xiao handed him the old cloth bag, He Zhixing immediately opened it and took out five bronze coins, a golden tortoise shell, sandalwood prayer beads, a string of small stones with bone pendants, and knife-shaped coins. He also pulled a small wooden figurine of a beautiful woman from his trouser pocket. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he held the wooden figurine in his left hand while his right hand began to swiftly wave the five items, closing his eyes.
His right hand moved so fast it became a blur. Even He Zhixing himself wasn’t sure when it would stop, as if his hand had become a machine, rapidly moving and twirling the objects. This was beyond his conscious control; he couldn’t will it to do one thing or another or expect any particular outcome. It simply wasn’t possible.
After several minutes, his right hand grabbed all the items and tossed them into the air. As they fell, the five objects traced various arcs before coming to rest. Opening his eyes, He Zhixing saw that four of the five bronze coins landed face up and one face down; the knife coins were partially buried in the golden tortoise shell; and both the prayer beads and the stone pendants showed their carefully chosen faces.
This was a sign of excellent fortune—the acquisition should succeed.
The others didn’t understand the divination, only noticing He Zhixing’s strange ritual and his final smile.
Miss Xiao seemed about to ask him something but couldn’t find the words. She simply watched quietly as He Zhixing carefully put the items away. Soon after, the sound of a car horn echoed outside the hotel. Dongzi and his girlfriend had arrived.
Everyone then went out to eat together, reserving two private rooms. He Zhixing, Gou Quan, Miss Xiao, Dongzi with his girlfriend, the older young man and his girlfriend, along with three others—ten people in total—gathered in one room.
During the meal, He Zhixing inquired in detail about the city beverage company’s situation: its assets, financial reports, current number of employees, and technical staff. Dongzi’s girlfriend was well-prepared; she had done her homework and even brought two notebooks she had compiled about her beverage company for He Zhixing to review.
After studying the materials, He Zhixing said, “Judging by the current situation, fifty million should be enough. A factory with fifteen hundred employees, coupled with its current poor management, should roughly amount to that.”
Dongzi’s girlfriend nodded. “That sounds about right.”
He took a sip of his drink and continued, “Since you’re also in the beverage business, how about this: I’ll arrange for you to meet General Manager Qi soon. I believe your meeting will clear up all the confusion he’s had recently.”
“Alright, thank you so much, Chen Yali! I really appreciate it!” she said earnestly.
The next day, He Zhixing met with General Manager Qi. Once Qi learned that He Zhixing intended to acquire the company and continue running it with the original assets and staff intact, he immediately agreed without hesitation. They signed the transfer contract on the spot, accepting the acquisition.
Things went more smoothly than anticipated. He Zhixing unexpectedly retained all of the original company’s personnel, including various talents. Revamping and developing the company would take time, but first, He Zhixing appointed Chen Yali as the new company’s chief assistant to fully support and coordinate all matters.
A few days later, He Zhixing transported fresh fruits from the Five Towns, including Bai Sheng fruit and four varieties of wild strawberries, to the beverage company’s formula technicians. They began researching new recipes to develop innovative, countryside-inspired wild fruit drinks, preparing to launch a fresh, nationwide brand of fashionable and healthy beverages.