Chapter 67: 66. Preparing to Acquire a Gaming Company (Second Update)

On Sunday, Zhang Sicheng and his wife arrived at Uncle Ning Qing's company once again to begin preparing for the renovation.

Zhang Ran, meanwhile, took the two little ones out to play again, though this time they went to the Ocean Museum. The two little ones had a great time here, letting out loud shouts whenever they saw particularly amazing animals, and Taotao's joyful laughter constantly filled Zhang Ran's ears.

But happy times are always short-lived.

Soon, the two little ones were facing school time again. When Zhang Ran dropped each of them off at school, both little ones wore reluctant expressions.

"Grandpa, will you take us out to play next week too?" Taotao pulled on Zhang Ran's hand, not letting him leave.

Zhang Ran, of course, hurriedly agreed. Nowadays, as long as it was a reasonable request from the two little ones—or even some that weren't so reasonable—as long as they opened their mouths, Zhang Ran would almost always agree.

The affection between grandparents and grandchildren seemed to hold true for Zhang Ran as well.

"Morning, Uncle Zhang." Meng Mingxuan opened the door to start work; this time, he remembered to buy breakfast on the way.

Zhang Ran didn't bother with pleasantries and said directly, "You said yesterday that Sicheng is about to lose his job? What exactly is going on?"

Meng Mingxuan knew Zhang Ran would ask about this today, so he had looked into it yesterday and immediately said, "It's like this: the new game from Sicheng's company flopped, and the company's capital chain has broken. Their boss seems to be planning to sell the company."

After listening, Zhang Ran didn't speak, only furrowed his brows in deep thought.

After a long while, Zhang Ran said, "Here is the deal, I am giving you a task."

Meng Mingxuan swallowed the last bite of his steamed bun, "Go ahead."

"You go and negotiate the acquisition of their company with Sicheng's boss. This time, I am leaving everything to you. I only need the final result. As for the personnel, go ask your father for professionals. Remember, this matter must be fast, but the price cannot be too high," Zhang Ran said.

After chatting with Zhang Sicheng for quite a while yesterday, Zhang Ran could see that Zhang Sicheng was still full of passion for the gaming industry.

Moreover, Zhang Sicheng was indeed getting on in years; making him choose another unfamiliar industry might be difficult for him.

Therefore, Zhang Ran decided to start from the industry Zhang Sicheng was most familiar with. If Zhang Sicheng had the ability, then Zhang Ran would help him grow.

If Zhang Sicheng lacked the ability in this area and had no such inclination, wanting only a plain and simple life, then Zhang Ran would respect his choice when the time came.

In fact, as long as Zhang Sicheng had the inclination, ability could be cultivated. At worst, he could learn from Zhang Ran and be a hands-off manager, only keeping a grasp on the general direction.

So, what mattered most was Zhang Sicheng's own thoughts.

This was the final decision Zhang Ran had made: give Zhang Sicheng a year or two, give him sufficient time and a platform, and see clearly what his deepest thoughts were.

Rather than suddenly telling him everything and letting him make a decision without impulse, thought, or practice.

In truth, Zhang Ran never had any intention of forcing Zhang Sicheng from the start; he just wanted to give him one more choice.

This was especially true after seeing how loving and happy Zhang Sicheng and Liu Lu were; after all, their Zhang Family already had a third generation.

And if nothing unexpected happened, he, Zhang Ran, would likely grow old around the same time as Zhang Sicheng, so he wasn't in a hurry.

Hearing Zhang Ran say this, Meng Mingxuan immediately said with a grin, "So, Uncle Zhang, is there any reward this time?"

Last time there was a three-million allowance quota; this was a big deal. If it could be like last time, he wouldn't have to worry about money for the next year.

Zhang Ran glanced at him and suddenly smiled, "Of course there is. I will have a professional appraisal agency make a total assessment of their company. Once you exceed the appraised price, for every dollar over, your allowance will be reduced by ten."

"No way, Uncle Zhang, shouldn't you give me a bottom line first?" Meng Mingxuan said with a bitter face.

"That depends on you. Besides, the negotiation staff from your father's company aren't from the gaming industry. If they make a mistake, no one will blame them; you will have to bear the result yourself," Zhang Ran said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Meng Mingxuan's face fell even further; what Zhang Ran said was not without reason.

But soon, Zhang Ran said again, "I will give you another choice."

"What choice?" Meng Mingxuan asked impatiently.

"I'll give you one week to prepare your own negotiation team. You can find professionals in the market to handle it. Of course, you will be responsible for everything then.

Besides, don't you know many rich second-generation kids? This is the time to show their worth; connections aren't just for eating and drinking.

I believe that even if these rich kids' parents find out, they will agree to let them help you. Most importantly, this is the time to distinguish the abilities of some of the friends you've made; this will be useful for your future development."

It could be said that Zhang Ran was truly very thoughtful. He wouldn't teach Meng Mingxuan anything about business himself; he gave Meng Mingxuan chance after chance, letting him try and learn.

This was actually the same as how he treated Zhang Sicheng and Zhang Siyan—giving them time to work hard and make their own choices.

"Then what kind of price will you set?" Meng Mingxuan thought for a moment and asked.

Zhang Ran said, "If you assemble the negotiation team yourself and complete the setup within a week, then if you set the price too high, your allowance will be deducted at a one-to-one ratio instead of the previous ten times."

"Is that all?" Meng Mingxuan was somewhat unsatisfied.

Zhang Ran glanced at him, thinking that he did indeed need to give a little bit of a sweet treat, or rather, something to look forward to.

After all, he needed to stimulate some motivation in Meng Mingxuan at the beginning.

"How about this: I'll decide based on the actual situation at that time, looking at how much money you manage to negotiate. If you can save me more money, then I will give you a reward," Zhang Ran said.

"Uncle Zhang, it's a deal," Meng Mingxuan said immediately.

Seeing Zhang Ran nod, Meng Mingxuan began to look forward to it; what kind of reward would Zhang Ran actually give?

Moreover, deep down, Meng Mingxuan was actually very willing to accept this task. Although last time he only negotiated for a house, and it was only three hundred thousand, that sense of accomplishment really satisfied him.

Especially the next day, when Lin Meizhi specifically called to praise him and quietly told him that his father, Meng He, was also very happy, just that he hadn't said it to his face.

"Then Uncle Zhang, can I go prepare now?" Meng Mingxuan was somewhat impatient.

Zhang Ran nodded and said, "Mm, go ahead and prepare. Remember, you only have one week of preparation time."

"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"