69novels Chapter 174 The Final Verdict
Chapter 174 The Final Verdict
Chapter 177 A Decisive Decision (Part 2)
As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes in the living room, filled with curiosity, inquiry, and anticipation, focused on Lin Yan, who was sitting slightly to the side.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Yan was not intimidated. He cleared his throat lightly, his young face displaying a composure and confidence beyond his years. He first laid out a crucial precondition: "Uncles and elders, before we formally discuss the details of the cooperation, there is a premise I must emphasize."
He paused, then calmly looked at Tang Bingyuan, Li Yaozu, and Zheng Yizhi: "My brand does not allow any existing family power to directly participate, nor does it allow it to be regarded as an extension or appendage of the family business. I wonder if Uncle Tang, Uncle Li, and Uncle Zheng have any objections to this?"
Upon hearing this, the elders, who had spent half their lives navigating the business world, were taken aback. Tang Bingyuan frowned slightly, speaking on behalf of the three, and asked, "Xiao Yan, what do you mean by that? Can you explain it to us in detail?" They were accustomed to the operating model of family businesses and were somewhat puzzled by Lin Yan's request to "de-familialize" the business.
Lin Yan leaned forward slightly, his tone sincere yet undeniably firm: "Uncles, to be honest, this brand was initially just an idea from a few of us young people. I have money and access to top-quality raw materials; frankly, I could have done it all by myself."
His gaze shifted to Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming beside him, his tone becoming sincere and warm: "But, who can blame us when Wenbin and Jiaming are the good brothers that I, Lin Yan, have chosen?" These words warmed the hearts of Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming.
Lin Yan continued, "I know very well that in their respective families, the core position of inheriting the family business is most likely not going to them. But they are not without ability, nor are they without ambition! They also yearn to use their own hands and minds to create a career that truly belongs to them and can be recognized. As their best friend, both for public and private reasons, I must help them and give them this platform and opportunity."
His voice was clear and forceful: "Therefore, I insist that the brand company I am about to establish will only allow Wenbin, Jiaming, and Liuqian to have absolute say and decision-making power. I do not want to see any of you uncles, or other members of your family, treating it as part of your family business, interfering with your decisions and direction."
He looked around and finally said, "I'm just laying this out upfront to clarify the rules and avoid unnecessary disputes and obstacles in the future. I wonder if you elders can agree to this premise? If not..." Lin Yan paused, his tone calm but with a strong sense of confidence, "Then I can personally lend Wenbin and Jiaming the funds they need to invest. I will still work with them on this brand."
For a moment, Tang Bingyuan, Li Yaozu, and Zheng Yizhi, the three fathers, looked at each other with complicated expressions. They were somewhat embarrassed by Lin Yan's blunt "warning," but deep down, they had to admit that his words hit the nail on the head and were full of unreserved support and protection for their sons.
At this moment, Li Wenbin, Zheng Jiaming, and Tang Liuqian were overwhelmed with shock, especially Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming! From childhood to adulthood, they had mostly been the ones being arranged and ignored in their families. When had anyone ever so solemnly affirmed their "ambitions"? When had anyone ever so forcefully fought for their independent stage? Lin Yan was not only giving them an opportunity, but also supporting them in the most direct way, declaring to their parents: The sons you don't approve of are partners worthy of entrusting your careers to and standing on your own in my eyes!
The two were so moved that their noses tingled and their eyes uncontrollably reddened. This was the first time in their lives that they had felt such profound and unreserved respect and support!
After a moment of silence, Li Yaozu let out a long sigh. Looking at his son's reddened eyes and clenched fists, he seemed to be truly seeing this "good-for-nothing" son for the first time. He shook his head with a wry smile, then looked at Lin Yan and nodded solemnly: "Xiao Yan, we understand what you mean. I, Li Yaozu, on behalf of the Li family, accept this proposal. Wenbin… we'll have to ask you to mentor him from now on."
Zheng Yizhi followed closely behind, his tone complex yet firm: "My Zheng family has no objections. Jiaming, do a good job, don't let Xiaoyan down."
Tang Bingyuan looked at Lin Yan with admiration in his eyes and nodded, saying, "It's a blessing for Liu Qian to be able to participate in such a bold undertaking. Our Tang family will naturally respect your rules."
"Alright!" Seeing that the elders had reached a consensus, Lin Yan smiled, and the atmosphere instantly relaxed considerably. He continued, "Since the premise is fine, let's get to the specifics. I will personally invest $10 million USD, taking a 30% stake in this new company. Of the remaining 70%, I propose that 1000% be set aside as a future employee incentive stock pool to reward outstanding employees who have made exceptional contributions to the company. That leaves 60% of the shares..."
He looked at Li Wenbin, Zheng Jiaming, and Tang Liuqian: "Wenbin, Jiaming, and Brother Liuqian, you three should discuss and agree on the investment ratio for these 60% of the shares, and hold them together. Regardless of how you distribute them internally, these 60% of the voting rights and decision-making power belong to your small group of three."
He paused, a lazy smile appearing on his face, preemptively warning, "Also, Wenbin, Jiaming, and Brother Liuqian, we need to get this straight. You know how busy I am. I'm only responsible for providing the money, the core raw materials, and overseeing the overall direction. The 'labor' work—running around and executing the tasks—will be yours. You... have no objections, right?"
Tang Liuqian looked at Lin Yan's self-righteous attitude of wanting to be a "hands-off boss," then glanced at Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming beside him, who were equally bewildered. He sighed helplessly and said in a tone that was half joking and half resentful, "Wenbin, Jiaming, I have a feeling... the three of us might have gotten ourselves on a 'pirate ship,' right?"
His words instantly broke the tense atmosphere that had been somewhat serious. The elders present couldn't help but laugh out loud, and even Gu Weijun and Yan Youyun shook their heads with a smile, finding these young people quite amusing.
Ultimately, with the discussion and support of the three fathers, the Li, Zheng, and Tang families decided that each family would contribute US$100 million to jointly subscribe to the 60% shares, meaning each family would hold 20% of the shares. This investment amount was within an acceptable range for all three families, demonstrating support while fully respecting Lin Yan's principle of "independent operation."
Li Yaozu, Zheng Yizhi, and Tang Bingyuan immediately wrote checks and handed them to their respective sons. Lin Yan also had Lin Yi prepare a simple equity agreement, which the young men signed on the spot. A fashion brand that would one day shake the world took its first solid step on these few light yet weighty pieces of paper.
After the agreement was signed, amidst his excitement, Li Wenbin looked at Lin Yan with a hint of unease, scratching his head and revealing a rare expression of nervousness: "Yan... I, I don't know anything. I used to only know how to eat, drink, and have fun... Now that we're suddenly doing something serious, you have to teach me!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan scoffed, giving him a look that said, "Wenbin, you're mistaken! You were born for this!"
Amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, Lin Yan explained, "You need to understand, we deal in luxury goods, and we earn money from the very top small group of wealthy people in the world. Therefore, you must know what rich people like to eat, what they like to wear, what they like to do, what their lifestyles and social circles are like, in order to accurately find them and sell your products to them! Poor people can't earn this kind of money because they can't and won't 'spend' like that. Often, poverty limits people's imagination, making them unable to understand the logic of top-tier consumption."
He pointed at Li Wenbin, his tone certain: "And you, Wenbin, you grew up in this circle. You have a natural sensitivity and intuition about 'how to spend money and enjoy life,' about the tastes and preferences of the wealthy! That's your biggest advantage! If you want to make money from the rich, you first need to truly understand how to spend money and live like the rich, and understand their needs!"
These sharp, even somewhat unorthodox, views nearly overturned the worldviews of the elders beside him, who had built their fortunes through hard work and business acumen. They had previously only known that doing business required integrity and hard work, and that maintaining relationships through entertaining and gift-giving was essential; they had never imagined that "eating, drinking, and having fun" and "knowing how to spend money" could actually become a core competitive advantage, a means of making money! But upon closer reflection, Lin Yan's words, especially regarding the specific positioning of luxury goods, were incredibly insightful and hit the nail on the head!
Finally, Lin Yan instructed Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming: "Wenbin, Jiaming, get your immigration procedures done as soon as possible before the Lunar New Year. I will use my connections to help you expedite the process. Ideally, you should immigrate to France. Then, we will register this brand in France and find two reliable agents with European backgrounds to operate openly. I will send people there to assist you."
Zheng Jiaming, being perceptive, asked with a hint of doubt, "Ayan, why is it so important to immigrate to France? Wouldn't it be easier to register in the United States?"
Lin Yan patiently explained, "Jiaming, you see, although the United States is prosperous and powerful now, in the eyes of those old capitalist countries in Europe, especially countries like Britain and France with deep aristocratic traditions and historical heritage, Americans are essentially a group of 'nouveau riche without culture and historical foundation.' Therefore, for a brand registered in the United States, no matter how well you do, it will be very difficult to gain the true recognition of the European upper class. We need to spend an extremely long time and a huge cost to change their prejudices."
His eyes gleamed with a wise insight into the world: "Conversely, if a brand is born in France and possesses pure 'European blood,' we only need to weave some compelling brand stories and historical backgrounds for it, and it can easily gain recognition in the European market. Then, leveraging this 'European aristocratic' aura, seizing the American market, which admires European culture, will be much easier and more effective. Behind this lies the latent cultural inferiority complex that Americans harbor when facing ancient European civilization. What we need to do is make good use of this."
These words once again plunged everyone present, including the well-informed Gu Weijun, into deep thought. Looking at this sixteen-year-old boy before them, they felt that his vision and strategy were already terrifyingly profound.