Chapter 110 The 110th Day of Not Running Away The 110th Day of Not Running Away...

Chapter 110 The 110th Day of Not Running Away The 110th Day of Not Running Away...

Bentonville, Arkansas.

As soon as Zhang Yurong and Wen Chan got off the plane, they saw Li Yi's car approaching.

Li Yi stepped forward and offered to help carry the luggage. There were five or six people with them this time, including Zhang Yurong and Wen Chan, as well as Mi Lin, the legal department, and the finance department.

Once in the car, Wen Chan asked Li Yi directly, "What time is the agreed-upon negotiation time with Walmart tomorrow morning?"

Li Yi turned around from the passenger seat and replied, "Eleven o'clock in the morning."

Wen Chan frowned. This timing was too rushed. Negotiations usually lasted at least several hours. "Couldn't we have moved it up a bit?"

Li Yi shook his head slightly: "There's nothing I can do. I talked to Jason Walmart about coming earlier or in the afternoon, but Jason said he was busy."

“Jason Walmart, I remember he’s the second son in his family, and now he’s the general manager?”

Zhang Yurong asked.

Li Yi nodded: "Jason is a bit difficult to deal with. He has a big appetite. I spent $100,000 on him, and now, not only does he refuse to lower his offer, he's even raised it."

As he said this, a look of guilt appeared on Li Yi's face.

Wen Chan shook her head. "This isn't your fault. Walmart is notoriously difficult to deal with, and nobody expected their arch-rival to have a scandal this month. It just makes them stand out."

Although Walmart has hundreds of stores in the United States, it is not without competitors. The essential needs and cash flow of the retail industry have always been well known, and one of its competitors is Parkway Supermarket.

They follow the same low-price strategy and the same path of opening branches in small and medium-sized cities. Although they are not as large as Walmart, their strength is not bad.

However, this month has seen a series of food safety issues exposed, including a mouse found in an ice cream display case and products being re-exposed and sold.

Two major news stories in quick succession ignited public outrage, with some people even taking to the streets to protest and demand a thorough investigation of Pattani.

In this context, Walmart has been praised by human rights organizations for employing many people with disabilities.

Zhang Yurong said, "They are also confident that they can take us down, which is why they are unwilling to give in."

Li Yi hesitated for a moment and looked at Wen Chan.

Wen Chan glanced at him, then closed the file. "Just say what you have to say. We're new here and have no idea what Walmart is really like or how many connections we can leverage. Your honesty will be very helpful to the company."

After saying this, she looked at Zhang Yurong: "Boss thinks so too, doesn't he?"

Zhang Yurong nodded immediately.

"That's right, that's exactly it."

Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He loosened his tie and said, "My idea is to buy 3% of the shares for 50 million. Although it's a bit expensive, it's best to get it done as soon as possible and cut the Gordian knot. If things drag on, and Walmart releases its sales figures for other countries in Mexico by the end of the year, countless institutions will want to invest in them. We won't have any advantage."

"You think fifty million is a good deal?"

Wen Chan raised an eyebrow: "Are there any other ways to negotiate a lower price?"

Li Yi said directly, "Absolutely not. Most of Walmart's shares are currently held by family members. They have strong cohesion and are not short of money. It's very difficult to break them down with money."

"Is there any leverage or something?" Wen Chan didn't give up.

Fifty million, which is twenty million more than before, is truly heartbreaking.

Li Yi awkwardly rubbed his nose. "I want to hire a private investigator to investigate their family, but here, the Walmart family provides a lot of jobs in the state, and their tax revenue alone accounts for a third of the total. It's impossible to hire anyone. Even if I could, I'm afraid those private investigators would turn against me."

They're difficult to deal with, exceptionally difficult.

Wen Chan and Zhang Yurong reached a consensus.

Facing such a behemoth is no ordinary problem.

That evening, after checking into a hotel near Walmart's headquarters, Wen Chan discussed with Zhang Yurong that, just as Li Yi had said, this negotiation should be expedited and resolved quickly.

Although the 50 million exceeded the budget, it was still quite worthwhile compared to the returns Walmart could bring in the future.

Zhang Yurong said regretfully, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have agreed when it was 30 million. That would have been fine."

Wen Chan held a glass in her hand, shaking her head as she wrote her manuscript, saying, "It's all in the past, so let's not think about it anymore. What's done is done. Tomorrow, we need to be prepared for the possibility that the amount will be higher than 50 million."

"Even higher?" Zhang Yurong exclaimed.

Wen Chan said, "It's just a possibility. I'm giving you a heads-up so you won't be too surprised and they'll see through our hand. Although we can't offer too much money, we can't let them think we're broke. If they think we don't have much money, their willingness to cooperate with us will weaken."

Zhang Yurong seemed to understand.

This is similar to doing business. Even though the prices are the same, more people prefer to go to large supermarkets rather than small stalls.

Human nature is very subtle in this respect.

Wen Chan and Zhang Yurong spent the whole night going over the draft, focusing on their own advantages and the difficult questions the other side might ask.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they come to invest and give money away; the relationship between investors and those being invested in is not always a simple one of party A and party B.

Good companies never lack investment; there are plenty of people eager to invest their money.

The next day, Zhang Yurong couldn't help but feel a little nervous when she went to Walton's headquarters.

Walton's headquarters covers approximately 350 acres, almost like a large industrial park, and you even need to drive in to get from the gate to the office building.

Upon arriving at the conference room on the third floor of the headquarters office building, Zhang Yurong, Wen Chan, and Li Yi were already waiting inside.

They arrived five minutes early to show their sincerity.

Fifteen minutes later, Jason Walmart finally arrived, flanked by several of his managers.

"Jason." Li Yi smiled, stood up, and greeted him, extending his hand.

Jason shook his hand. "Mike, those two ladies are..."

"This is our boss, May, and this is our CEO, Ms. Wen."

Li Yi explained.

Jason said "Oh," smiled and nodded to Zhang Yurong and Wen Chan, and politely said, "It's nice to meet you." He then pulled out a chair and sat down, making Zhang Yurong and Wen Chan, who were about to get up to shake hands, feel a little awkward.

Wen Chan acted as if nothing had happened and pulled Zhang Yurong to sit down.

“Mr. Jason, I heard from Mike that Walmart’s target amount is fifty million. That price seems a bit exaggerated.”

Jason shrugged and smiled, "It is a bit high, but it's worth the price. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here, would you?"

"Yes, of course we invested in your family business because we believe in Walmart as a large company."

Wen Chan smiled and said, "I heard that your father is planning to write an autobiography. I am looking forward to it. Please remind me when it is published. I want to buy a copy for myself and all my friends. It is truly a miracle that an ordinary person can start from scratch and create such a large company that provides tens of thousands of jobs."

Li Yi glanced at Wen Chan with some surprise.

Li Yi had been investigating this matter for over a month and still didn't know anything about it. Where did Wen Chan get the information?

Jason was also clearly taken aback, and his expression became much more serious. "Thank you. My father will be very happy to know how much you admire him. Even many of our business partners don't know about this. I didn't expect you to be so well-informed."

"Because I've been following Walmart for a long time."

Wen Chan blinked. "I also admire your courage. Nowadays, many companies are hesitant and try to minimize their actions and preserve their strength, but you dare to stride confidently towards the international stage. Your vision and strength are definitely among the best in the world."

Zhang Yurong listened from the side and couldn't help but laugh.

She thought Wen Chan was straightforward, but she didn't expect him to be so good at flattering people.

Even she, an outsider, found these words quite pleasing to the ear, let alone Walmart.

Jason's smile became much more genuine. He shrugged and said, "You're Chinese, and I didn't expect you to speak English so well. My father really admires Chinese wisdom. He says we should be prepared for danger in times of peace and do what others cannot."

Jason spoke the last few words in broken Chinese, but he managed to get them clear enough.

Li Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Jason, I didn't expect you to speak Chinese?"

Jason laughed and said, "It's nothing. All the kids in my family are learning Chinese. In the future, Chinese will become a common language besides English."

"The Walmart family really has a good eye."

Wen Chan said, "It's rare that we get along so well. Why don't we each compromise? We're willing to offer 50 million, but at the same time, the contract must be signed today."

"this--"

Jason Walmart, who had just been having a good talk with Walmart, suddenly looked surprised.

He crossed his arms and said, "This is no small matter; it's an investment of fifty million."

"I know, but I have more faith in your abilities. Frankly, given how well we've had this talk today, I don't think there's any need to waste any more time."

Wen Chan smiled and turned to the legal department, saying, "Zalia, the contract."

Zalia was about to take out the contract.

Jason coughed in a panic.

He coughed several times, covering his mouth. Several managers around him immediately reacted. One of them patted him on the back to help him catch his breath, while another took out pills and helped him take them.

Someone else said to Wen Chan and the others, "Excuse me, Jason has asthma. We need to take him to the manager's office to rest. Let's end today's negotiations here. You can eat in our cafeteria, it's free."

Several people surrounded Jason and hurriedly left.

In the office, Zhang Yurong and the others were stunned.

Zarya, who had just taken out the contract, froze in mid-air, unsure whether to take it out again.

"Put it away." Wen Chan's smile faded.

Zhang Yurong hesitated and asked, "What happened? Everything was fine just now?"

Wen Chan stood up, picked up her bag, and said calmly, "The other party changed their mind before they even arrived, so this cooperation is impossible to achieve today."