CHAPTER 328: CHAPTER 173: THE MYSTERIOUS FIGURE 【GREAT CHAPTER BALLOT】_4

Fattie let out a cold snort.

"What are you thinking? What do you even amount to? How exactly do you plan to impress Mr. Han?!"

The male model mumbled in reply, "Anything goes, depending on what he..."

Damn!

Fattie shuddered and broke out in a cold sweat, resolving to go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow...

...

As the admiring and fervent gazes of the girls fell on him, Mr. Han’s mood remained stable. His attitude was distant and aloof.

It wasn’t all an act.

After all, Han Lie had his share of experience with such gatherings.

It was habitual for tycoons to bring young beauties to these events, and the young, pretty girls always loved to mingle at the tycoons’ parties.

Take a photo, post it on social media, and their social standing soared.

Listening to the tycoons boast broadened their horizons, and their desire for vicarious excitement was greatly satisfied.

Enjoying the fine food, savoring good wine—that moment felt like eternity.

But what were the actual benefits?

Unless they partook in the "hotel experience" segment of the after-party, there were basically no benefits.

When they returned to reality, they still had to work overtime, endure scoldings, pay rent, squeeze onto buses and subways, and argue with their boyfriends.

Tycoons weren’t going to randomly give them a raise, involve them in projects, or help them climb the social ladder. However, they might bring them to the next party for amusement, just for a laugh.

Is that interesting? Not really.

Thus, smart women knew to attend fewer such parties, unless they were willing to risk everything and possessed enough emotional intelligence and wit to walk the path of conquering through submission.

And smart men knew to play along at such events, never investing true feelings.

The girls attending today were all pretty and talented, not just pretty faces.

And yet, Han Lie still couldn’t bring himself to take much interest in them.

If Panzi gets drunk, then it might be okay to flirt a little with someone. Otherwise, I’m just the perfectly behaved, cool, aloof heartthrob. Enjoy the thrill inwardly, but don’t let it show.

As the third round of drinks was served, Fattie suddenly exclaimed, "Mr. Han’s expertise is truly top-notch, much better than the private funds I’ve invested in before!"

Just as the conversation reached this point, Han Lie smoothly steered it to the main topic.

"The reason I’ve invited you all today is precisely to discuss establishing a private fund."

Hearing this, Liu Minghao immediately pointed at Old Pan, laughing as he chided, "Oh, Pan Shengwu, you sly dog! I was wondering why you suddenly decided to bring me into this... Mr. Han, you can leave the legal support to me. What’s your plan?"

Everyone immediately quieted down, looking earnestly at Han Lie, waiting for him to lay out his proposal.

Han Lie concisely explained his intentions.

"The conditions for establishing a formal private fund aren’t quite mature yet. I plan to start with a corporatized private fund as a transitional measure. Broadly speaking..."

Everyone listened intently, but aside from Liu Minghao, nobody understood a word.

Not understanding had its advantage—they were awed by what they couldn’t comprehend.

And Liu Minghao, who did understand, was even more astonished.

"Mr. Han, your ideas are very mature and highly feasible. If no one has any objections, I can get everything settled within three working days."

Naturally, those who were already on board had no objections.

Only Sun Changzhe felt utterly flustered.

According to Han Lie’s description, a corporatized private fund shouldn’t have too many shareholders. As long as each shareholder’s capital contribution is large enough, it’s more than enough to support the initial scale. Clearly, Han Lie isn’t planning on expanding the fundraising scope just yet. Liu Minghao can provide legal support and even handle most of the trouble. It’s only natural for him to be included. But what about me? What do I bring to the table?

His mind raced, and then he suddenly gritted his teeth.

"Mr. Han, I’ll contribute 25 million for a proportional stake. Additionally, I’ll provide you with a personal, interest-free loan of 5 million for one year. Can I be part of this?"

Han Lie was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Old Sun is incredibly astute. He’s really something... Five million isn’t a huge sum, but right now, it’s actually quite precious. Consider the simplest point: when registering the company, shares are determined by capital contribution. An extra 5 million in cash means I could get an additional 3% stake. And when it comes to snowballing profits in the stock market, that 3% would translate to significantly more earnings. This offering... I have to accept it. It would be a crime not to!

"Certainly. What does everyone else think?" Han Lie asked, smiling at the other shareholders, though the question was purely rhetorical.

While inwardly cursing Sun Changzhe for being a scoundrel and putting them on the spot, they all outwardly chuckled and agreed to Han Lie’s proposal.

The most important objective of the day was thus accomplished.

Han Lie changed seats, moving beside Liu Minghao to discuss the specifics of registering the company.

Lü Shuli took out her notebook and quickly began jotting down notes.

Mm, beautiful and well-behaved.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Old Sun called the waiter to clear the table. A spread of fruit and desserts was served, along with a pot of fine tea, and everyone resumed discussing the investment amounts.

Ultimately, following Panzi’s proposal, with Dou’s support, and spurred by Young Zhang’s bullishness, the previous operational agreement was voided. They decided to liquidate and settle accounts ahead of schedule.

Han Lie received another payout of over 9 million.

With the over 13 million he had already earned, the 5 million loan, and this new payout, Han Lie pooled together 25 million to invest in the new company. This left him with about 2.7 million in pocket money.

That seems like enough to buy a car. A car costing over 2 million isn’t exactly extravagant, but it’s perfectly adequate for getting around, and good enough for a new driver who’s likely to get a few scratches and bumps. Maybe I’ll go take a look tomorrow?

While Han Lie was pondering this, the group reached a consensus on contributions:

Sun Changzhe: 25 million.

The three other ’Fat Sheep’ investors: 20 million each, totaling 60 million.

Fattie: 40 million. She really went all out.

Old Zhang: 20 million.

"I even smashed my granddaughter’s piggy bank to scrape this together..."

Listen to that! How dramatic!

Old Dou: 40 million—all the cash he had at home, not even leaving living expenses for his daughter.

Old Pan: 100 million. "Just a trifle!" he drawled.

Pan Ge: 50 million.

Old Pan made the decision on her behalf, saying, "My daughter needs to start saving for her dowry!"

Liu Minghao: 40 million.

Old Liu was the most surprising. Today was his first time meeting Han Lie, yet he acted with such sharp decisiveness, showing complete trust.

In total, the fund amassed four "small goals"—400 million.

Everyone had full confidence in Han Lie. If he could manage 130 million and achieve a 25% profit in a week, handling 400 million in funds would be no problem at all. In terms of operational scale, there wasn’t a significant difference between 400 million and 130 million.

In the share allocation, Han Lie held a 6.25% stake; he wasn’t given any preferential treatment.

He then became the company’s Capital Manager, with full operational control over the 400 million in funds, and he would receive a 30% performance bonus on profits.

All expenses from company operations and fund management would be covered by operating costs. Net profit distributions would occur quarterly, paid from the net profit remaining after his 30% performance bonus and all operating costs were deducted.

At the same time, Han Lie would no longer need to use his own money for expenses like buying a car, renting an apartment, or staying in hotels. These would all be company expenses, tax-deductible and factored into operating costs. Even his car’s license plates were taken care of.

Well now, our savvy Brother Lie! Just as he was thinking of spending some cash, everyone insisted on covering it for him. The "suffering"!

The details were finalized one by one, and the corporatized private fund essentially took shape.

Finally, Panzi waved his hand grandly and boomed, "Today was fantastic! Come on, let’s go sing, drink, celebrate, and party!"

Everyone responded enthusiastically and boisterously headed out.

Han Lie was dumbfounded.

Damn! I just finished putting on my cool and aloof act! I painstakingly built up this brilliant image of being rational, meticulous, self-disciplined, and a non-drinker, and now Panzi, you’re taking everyone out for a night of carousing right in front of me?! How can I possibly go?! Am I even supposed to go?!

Fattie, ever so considerate, said to Han Lie with a smile, "Mr. Han, please go home and rest. You can take my car!"

"That won’t be necessary." Han Lie waved his hand, his expression grave. "My gym isn’t far from here. I’ll walk over. It’ll give me a chance to clear my head and unwind."

The girls were instantly filled with awe and respect for Mr. Han.

No wonder he’s so successful! To be this self-disciplined... it’s almost terrifying!

And so, with an air of wistful longing, Brother Lie walked into the night, leaving the beauties with only the sight of his mysterious departing figure...

*****

I’ll write less about the stock details, trying not to affect the reading experience.

But long-time readers know I quite like writing about what I consider to be correct, knowledge-based content.

It may not be useful for everyone, but some people will always find it beneficial.

For example, in 2018, I warned everyone to stop investing in property and absolutely avoid leveraging up.

In 2019, I advised everyone that cash is king...

The coming year or two actually represent a relatively extended period where the stock market is a value trough, with a fair degree of certainty.

Economic crises breed opportunity from danger. During a global interest rate hiking cycle, with our counter-cyclical measures and battle to defend the exchange rate, a market drop is certain, and it’s also certain that the decline will stagnate after reaching a certain point.

I don’t recommend non-professionals buy stocks. However, if there are existing stock traders among my readers, I hope to offer some reminders and provoke some thought.

Techniques cannot be taught explicitly, but a broad, fundamentally correct mindset should prove somewhat effective.