Chapter 318: Negotiating Cooperation

"General Manager Chen, you can't just look after Brother Zhou; you also need to take care of us!" Hu Jiahao saw that Chen Yang had just met him and directly gave Zhou Baolin a big business, and he was also a bit envious.

He came to the Commonfolk Agricultural Products Trading Company this time; besides thanking Chen Yang for helping him profit from stock trading, he also brought a major task entrusted by his family: to take over the overseas business of the Commonfolk Agricultural Products Trading Company.

Although Shen Anna had verbally agreed to cooperate with the Hu Family Trading Company, they had not yet conducted in-depth discussions. Meanwhile, Chen Yang merely chatted briefly with Zhou Baolin and immediately moved on to discuss the specific scope of business. This is exactly what Hu Jiahao truly wanted.

Naturally, Chen Yang couldn't play favorites. He smiled and said to Hu Jiahao: "General Manager Hu, I've recently been preparing a feed factory, and the demand for soybeans is huge. I've heard that soybeans from Beautiful Country and Samba Country are much cheaper than domestic ones. Do you have any connections?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Jiahao immediately beamed with joy: "General Manager Chen, not just soybeans—any agricultural product cheaper than domestic ones, our company can obtain. Moreover, we can also act as agents to sell your company's products worldwide."

Chen Yang felt that this second-generation rich kid, Hu Jiahao, was quite good. At least, sitting in the General Manager's position, he truly understands the business, rather than being just a nominal figurehead.

"General Manager Hu, our company has only been established not long ago, and we have no clue about foreign trade. If your company can help us handle the overseas business, that would truly be a timely help!"

Hu Jiahao smiled and said: "General Manager Chen, you're too polite. Being able to serve the Commonfolk Agricultural Products Trading Company is our company's honor."

Chen Yang smiled: "Since General Manager Hu is willing to help, let's discuss the details further with General Manager Shen later!"

Hu Jiahao nodded satisfactorily.

Then, Chen Chong also spoke up.

"General Manager Chen, although our company is not large, the various condiments we produce are somewhat well-known in Xingcheng. I wonder if we could station ourselves in your offline chain stores and online e-commerce platforms?"

Chen Yang did not think the Chen Family Soy Sauce Food Company was merely somewhat well-known. It is the earliest listed condiment company in Xingcheng. Its market value once peaked at twenty billion. Besides producing various soy sauce-related products, they also produce various flavored chili sauces, hot pot bases, tomato sauces, vinegars, and other condiments.

Securing their business would elevate the brand status of the Commonfolk Agricultural Products Trading Company in Dongjiangsheng to a higher level.

"General Manager Chen, we're practically family, so no need for pleasantries. On behalf of the Commonfolk Agricultural Products Trading Company, I welcome you to join our online and offline sales platforms. I also sincerely thank your company for its support."

Chen Chong modestly waved his hand. Smiling, he said to Chen Yang: "General Manager Chen, your words are too formal. Your company's reputation in Dongjiangsheng is renowned far and wide; cooperating with you should be our company's honor."

Chen Yang smiled: "We are a new company; being known by everyone is mainly due to luck. Meanwhile, your company is a long-established famous family enterprise in Xingcheng, said to have existed even before the liberation."

Seeing Chen Yang praise his own company's history, Chen Chong's mouth corners slightly rose, yet he politely said: "General Manager Chen, that's all old history. Nowadays, the most famous in Xingcheng is still your Commonfolk Agricultural Products Trading Company! Don't believe me? You can ask Brother Zhou and General Manager Hu. See if I'm lying."

Zhou Baolin immediately echoed: "Our company's cafeteria ingredients are basically purchased from the Commonfolk Agricultural Products chain supermarkets. Not only are the prices lower than the market, but the ingredients are also very fresh. I suspect whether your company's approach can actually make money. Or are you merely sacrificing early profits to boost popularity, planning to raise prices after fully dominating the market?"

Chen Yang said: "Director Zhou, I can responsibly tell you that as long as the production cost price doesn't increase, our company will always provide services below market price."

Zhou Baolin curiously asked Chen Yang: "Your company's profit is low, and its service cost is higher than other competitors; can it still make money?"

Chen Yang explained to him: "Director Zhou, let me be frank: our company's headquarters and offline stores are all properties under my personal name, so we can save a large amount on venue fees. Moreover, we have reached long-term cooperation agreements with many large production bases within the province, with no intermediaries involved. With these two foundations, we can maximize cost reduction."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Baolin gave Chen Yang another thumbs-up: "General Manager Chen, you're young yet capable of far-sighted planning; even I, Zhou Baolin, find myself inferior in this regard."

Chen Yang politely said: "Director Zhou, you flatter us. We too are forced into this. As an emerging enterprise trying to establish a foothold in Xingcheng where powerful clans abound, we can only focus on price and service. And to achieve both, the only way is to work on costs."

Zhou Baolin greatly agreed with Chen Yang's words. Besides labor expenses, his logistics company's annual property rent is also a huge expense.

"General Manager Chen, I've heard your company plans to build several large cold storage warehouses, each with an investment of tens of millions, in other prefecture-level cities of Dongjiangsheng. Wouldn't that be too risky? Wouldn't it be more cost-saving to simply rent others' cold storage?"

Chen Yang did not agree with Zhou Baolin's idea, speaking sternly: "Only by owning our own cold storage can we have absolute autonomy over product scheduling and guarantee stable output. For a company aiming to grow big and strong, we must grasp the core industry in our own hands. As an agricultural products trading company, cold storage is the core industry, the lifeblood of the enterprise. Wherever conditions allow, it is impossible to entrust one's lifeblood to others."

Zhou Baolin was deeply inspired by Chen Yang's words. He suddenly thought: if his competitors bought up the venues his company rents, and then tried every means to obstruct the company's normal operations, what a terrifying outcome that would be.

"General Manager Chen, what do you think the future trend of the domestic real estate market will be like?"

Although Chen Yang had only just met Zhou Baolin, he had no intention of hiding anything. He directly confessed: "The real estate industry is a sunrise sector; I personally am very optimistic about it. The money I earned from stock trading, aside from founding the company, is basically used to invest in real estate."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Baolin immediately had an idea in mind.

At this moment, Yexin suddenly walked in from outside. She first greeted Qi Yunxiang, then began to complain to Chen Yang.

"You little punk, I studied with Blue Girl for half a day and feel that ten million US dollars is completely insufficient to unleash our abilities. Why don't you transfer the remaining one hundred seventy-nine million US dollars to me? I guarantee I'll double it by tonight."

Qi Yunxiang, Zhou Baolin, and others hearing this were all shocked.

It turned out that Chen Yang's claimed profit of 170 million was not in renminbi, but in US dollars!