Chapter 101: 3.5 Billion Pounds Secured

"Chairman Lu, you are too modest; the things you oppose are merely work."

After Wei Er sat down at the dining table, he spoke softly.

He took the 555 cigarette Lu Chen handed him, lit it, and took a drag.

"How did your meeting go?"

"Of course, we welcome Director Wei Er's investment; it will accelerate the pace of our construction."

Lu Chen lit a cigarette with a smile, a flash of sharp insight flickering in his eyes.

"This time it was mainly a construction coordination meeting regarding the Natural Port; the bigwigs didn't have any special objections, and the remaining parts only need to be communicated privately."

"Oh? Since that's the case, when can our investment plan be signed?"

Wei Er looked at Lu Chen deeply, his eyes carrying a hint of profundity.

"If we sign today, the funds can reach the account you require before tonight; this sum is approximately 3.5 billion pounds."

"If you are in a hurry, we can sign today."

Lu Chen paused and took a deep drag of his cigarette.

A trace of displeasure appeared on his face, but his tone remained gentle.

"Regarding the specific terms of this funding, I require full usage rights, as well as the valuation of the Nitan Project as a whole; it is unlikely I can give you too many shares, and an acting-in-concert agreement must be signed."

Wei Er finished his cigarette, took a sip of coffee, stared at Lu Chen for a good while, and then spoke slowly.

"Fine, Crown accepts your proposal, but it requires you to pledge your Crown shares as collateral, as well as the priority dividend rights of the Nitan Project for the next ten years."

"Crown's shares can be pledged to you, but the project's priority dividend rights cannot; the Nitan Project is not a project that can turn a profit in a short time, and in fact..."

Lu Chen looked at Wei Er deeply before speaking.

"An injection of 3.5 billion pounds might not even be enough for construction; there will be almost no dividends within ten years, and even if it can turn a profit, it will continue to require investment."

Wei Er tapped the tabletop lightly, and after a while, he spoke softly.

"Since there are no dividends within ten years, what does it matter if this clause is signed?"

"Director Wei Er, you really don't respect the laws of industrial development."

Lu Chen took a deep look at Wei Er.

"Since you insist, I can agree, but your priority dividend rights will be ranked third."

"Who are in the first and second positions?"

Wei Er frowned and asked directly.

"How can anyone have invested more than Crown?"

"The first is Miss Luosha; without her, the Nitan Project would have no room to start at all. Do you agree?"

Lu Chen glanced at Wei Er and spoke softly.

"Capital is indeed very important to the Nitan, but without the support of the various factions in the Nitan, starting it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven, and no amount of capital would be able to enter."

"You surely know who is in second place; it is not just the various landlords, but also the implicit support of various gangs. They won't be reflected in the agreement, and even a portion of your funds will enter their pockets."

Lu Chen lit a cigarette and tossed the box to Wei Er.

"In this territory of the Nitan, we all know exactly what is going on, don't you think?"

After several seconds, Lu Chen spread his hands, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"If you are not satisfied, you can choose not to invest, or have your superiors go talk to Miss Luosha properly; after all, the scale of the capital is indeed very large, and it should receive better treatment."

"Chairman Lu, I have to say, you are very good at persuading people."

Wei Er looked at Lu Chen deeply, took a drag of his 555, and a flash of sharp insight flickered in his eyes.

"I will not take back the shares you pledged for now, but please remember one thing: at the next shareholders' meeting, please cast an abstention vote."

"It seems Crown will be holding a new round of shareholders' meetings soon?"

Lu Chen looked at Wei Er deeply and beckoned to Butler Wang.

He whispered a few words into Butler Wang's ear.

Only then did he turn back to look at Wei Er again.

"I have arranged for Butler Wang to prepare the contract; do you have anything else to add?"

"It was truly a pity that you left early yesterday."

A smile appeared on the corner of Wei Er's mouth.

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"After the next board meeting, the stock and securitization will be launched simultaneously; the stocks will be listed in Daiying and Piaoliang Guo at the same time, and by then, external capital will enter the stock market."

Wei Er took a drag of his 555, exhaled the smoke, and then said.

"It's not that I don't want to withdraw the funds for you, but this is the maximum amount that can be withdrawn right now."

"Then I must congratulate Director Wei Er."

Lu Chen frowned slightly, but his face immediately changed to a smiling expression.

"After all, I don't understand this finance stuff, but if it can be listed, the risks should be controllable, right?"

"Finance, well, where is there no risk? Don't worry, everything is under control."

The corners of Wei Er's mouth lifted slightly, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

The two of them had lunch in a relatively relaxed atmosphere before returning to the study.

"Director Wei Er, please."

Lu Chen handed Wei Er a Cigar, sat on the sofa, and slowly began to preheat it.

"Take a look at the contract terms."

After taking a puff of his Cigar, Lu Chen pushed the contract that had just been printed over to Wei Er.

"No problems, but will you transfer this company to my name?"

A flicker of doubt flashed in Wei Er's eyes, but he still spoke up to ask.

After all, it was a company he held one hundred percent of the shares in, so Wei Er naturally needed to ask.

"The equity documents for this company, as well as the relevant Seal, will be deposited directly into the United Neutral Bank after you have confirmed them."

Lu Chen took a deep look at Wei Er, took a puff of his Cigar, and crossed his legs.

He leaned his body back and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"You may withdraw them at any time."

Wei Er nodded slowly.

He signed his name on over a dozen contracts in a row.

"Pleasure doing business; the funds can be wired into this company's account this afternoon. You have 3 days to transfer this capital, and after 3 days, I will go to the United Neutral Bank to collect the documents."

"If they arrive this afternoon, you may collect the documents at any time tomorrow."

Lu Chen smiled and spoke directly.

"This company was provided by Daiying's channel company; you can rest assured, we are professionals."

"Then I will use the telephone."

Wei Er nodded slightly, took a puff of his Cigar, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Lu Chen nodded slightly, did not reply, but instead got up and left the study, smoking his Cigar at the doorway.

It was not until the call was hung up that Lu Chen knocked lightly on the door.

"The capital transfer has already begun and will be completed in about 1 hour; the rest is up to you, Chairman Lu."

A hint of a smile played on the corners of Wei Er's mouth as he spoke softly.

He remained sitting on the sofa with no intention of getting up.

Lu Chen looked back at Butler Wang and nodded slightly.

It was not until 2 hours later that Lu Chen and Wei Er were each holding newspapers, flipping through them boredly in the study.

Butler Wang knocked lightly on the door.

"Sir, Director Wei Er, the capital transfer is complete."

Wei Er was stunned for a moment, looked up at Butler Wang, then stood up and took the document bag that Butler Wang handed over, which had already been sealed with wax.

He nodded slightly toward Lu Chen and walked straight out of the study.