Chapter 287: How Many Assets Do You Have?
They didn't drink much alcohol at dinner.
At such gatherings, people usually drank just enough to enjoy themselves. The company provided a designated car and driver, and Dai Yingchi had arranged everything beforehand since he knew drinking was inevitable tonight.
They didn't follow Lu Chenyi, Li Xingchao, and the older generation to their after-dinner tea session. After finishing the meal, they got into their car and left early.
The business vehicle had spacious seats. Xiao Lu sat in the last row. Li Tang glanced back at her and then turned to Dai Yingchi beside him. "During dinner, everyone was talking about business, so you two hardly spoke or ate anything. If you're still hungry, shall we stop somewhere for a midnight snack?"
"I'm alright, I actually ate quite a bit," Xiao Lu replied, though in truth she had been too nervous to eat much earlier, especially after finding out about the impressive identities of Li Xingchao, Niu Fu, and Lu Chenyi. She had felt intimidated and was hesitant to reach for the dishes.
"There were so many dishes, but everyone was busy drinking and chatting. Only the two of us were focused on the food," Dai Yingchi chuckled honestly. "But I noticed you had a good amount of drinks, so let's take you home first for some rest."
"Your hands stayed under the table the whole time. I noticed that," Li Tang teased with a laugh. Leaning toward the driver in the front, he instructed, "Let's head to Old Wang's BBQ place."
"Got it!" The driver was very familiar with the route and quickly turned the vehicle towards the BBQ restaurant.
At Old Wang's BBQ, the meat, especially lamb and beef, was exceptionally fresh.
"Hey, brother! You're back again!" the owner warmly greeted Li Tang as soon as he entered, offering him a cigarette.
"Four of us tonight. Boss, bring out whatever you think is best," Li Tang said casually, taking his usual seat by the window.
"Got it!" The boss didn't ask further, already familiar with Li Tang's usual preferences.
Once they were seated, it was just the four of them, including the driver, all trusted people. There was no need to worry about formalities.
"Want some more beer?" Li Tang asked Dai Yingchi.
"Tea would be better," Dai Yingchi kindly considered Li Tang's alcohol tolerance.
"You're backing out?" Li Tang teased, laughing.
"If He Runqi were here, even after drinking hard liquor, he'd still insist on more beer," Dai Yingchi remarked, knowing their friend's drinking habits. "By the way, how's He Runqi's iron ore exploration project going in Australia?"
"It's advancing rapidly," Li Tang answered while pouring tea. "But the living conditions are tough. There's hardly anyone around for hundreds of kilometers outside the camp."
"Maybe I should go there for a while?" Dai Yingchi suggested. Ever since joining the company, he'd been managing from headquarters, never experiencing fieldwork directly.
"Someone reliable has to oversee things here. With you in charge, I feel at ease," Li Tang assured him, then glanced at Xiao Lu. "Besides, your girlfriend just arrived in Yanjing; you can't leave her alone."
"It's alright," Xiao Lu said understandingly. "We're young, and career comes first."
Li Tang nodded, then suddenly remembered something. He asked curiously, "Not to pry too much, but I remember Yingchi mentioned before that you two had broken up. What happened?"
Dai Yingchi and Xiao Lu shared a knowing smile.
"It wasn't anything major," Dai Yingchi admitted. "We'd been together so long, we had some arguments over trivial matters."
Looking at Xiao Lu tenderly, he continued, "I shouldn't have blamed you. From now on, I'll follow your every command!"
Xiao Lu leaned affectionately against him. "I've also realized I need to be more understanding about your work-related stress."
Seeing their affectionate exchange, Li Tang quickly sipped his tea, pretending not to notice.
"Li Tang, do you have a girlfriend?" Xiao Lu asked suddenly.
"Yes," Li Tang checked his watch. "I just messaged her; she'll be here soon."
"Oh," Xiao Lu looked slightly disappointed. "I was about to introduce you to a good friend of mine who also works in Yanjing."
"With his status, Li Tang never lacks women around!" Dai Yingchi joked.
"Hey," Li Tang protested humorously, "You're slandering me! Believe it or not, I actually met my current girlfriend through a blind date."
"You had to go on a blind date?" Xiao Lu exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
"Exactly! Didn't you just say you wanted to set me up? Clearly, I'm not the type who naturally attracts attention," Li Tang laughed.
"No, that's not what I meant," Xiao Lu quickly clarified. "You're handsome in a subtle, enduring way, and you must work out regularly since you're in great shape. Most importantly, you're extremely talented—women find that very attractive!"
"With Li Tang's reputation, I'm sure he has countless admirers," Dai Yingchi joined in on the praise.
"You two certainly have good taste, noticing so many of my hidden virtues," Li Tang laughed heartily.
Just then, the sizzling skewers arrived, spreading an appetizing aroma.
"Should we wait for your girlfriend?" Xiao Lu hesitated politely.
"No need. Let's start. When she arrives, we'll order fresh ones," Li Tang said, grabbing a skewer eagerly. "BBQ tastes best fresh off the grill."
"Then I won't hold back," Xiao Lu finally relaxed, grabbing a skewer herself.
As they ate, Li Tang asked casually, "Xiao Lu, are you just visiting, or are you planning to stay in Yanjing permanently?"
Xiao Lu glanced at Dai Yingchi, replying firmly, "I'm planning to stay. I'll try finding a suitable job first. If not, I'll just depend on Yingchi."
"I'll support you!" Dai Yingchi patted his chest proudly. "Our company pays really well. Making over a hundred thousand yuan a year is easy!"
"That much?" Xiao Lu was surprised; they'd never discussed his salary.
"Otherwise, how could I have afforded to buy an apartment here?" Dai Yingchi looked gratefully at Li Tang. "I've only been here for a year, but thanks to Li Tang's generous pay, I was able to buy a place."
"You bought that apartment next to mine, right?" Li Tang remembered hearing about it but hadn't visited yet.
"Yeah," Dai Yingchi nodded. "Last year, I followed your advice and invested all my savings and salary into the down payment."
"How big is it?"
"150 square meters," Dai Yingchi grinned. "Property prices have risen this year."
"They'll keep rising," Li Tang remarked knowingly.
"Good thing I listened to you. Waiting another year would've cost tens of thousands more," Dai Yingchi sighed happily. "Those who didn't buy last year are all regretting it now."
"You've got a house. After this year's bonus, get a car next, and life will be very comfortable," Li Tang teased. "So, when are you two getting married?"
Dai Yingchi and Xiao Lu exchanged shy glances.
"We're still young," Xiao Lu answered quickly. "You guys are busy building careers now; marriage can wait."
"Back in university, we all assumed you'd marry right after graduation," Li Tang urged jokingly. "It's been years, and you even broke up once. Don't wait too long!"
"You're not married either," Xiao Lu countered playfully.
"I started dating late. If I'd had a long-time girlfriend like you, I'd have married already," Li Tang responded confidently.
At that moment, Li Xinqi gracefully walked in, dressed elegantly. "Who's getting married?"
"I'm encouraging them," Li Tang pointed across the table.
Xiao Lu immediately praised Li Xinqi's beauty. "Your girlfriend is stunning!"
"Thank you! You are too," Li Xinqi smiled warmly, sitting beside Li Tang.
"You drove here?" Li Tang passed her utensils.
"Yes," Li Xinqi sniffed curiously. "Did you drink?"
"It was your dad's invitation," Li Tang defended himself playfully.
Li Xinqi smiled softly, then turned to the couple across the table. "Are you two getting married? Congratulations!"
"Not yet," Xiao Lu quickly clarified. "We were actually talking about when you two would tie the knot."
Li Xinqi blushed instantly. Li Tang joked, "Let's pick a lucky date and all get married together!"
Xiao Lu laughed cheerfully, "Great idea! A double wedding would be fun!"
"Too bad He Runqi is still single. Otherwise, we could have a triple wedding," Dai Yingchi joked, reminiscing about their university days.
Thanks to Xiao Lu's lively chatter, the night ended happily.
Afterwards, Li Tang and Li Xinqi returned home together. Under the bright city lights, Li Xinqi said softly, "Speaking of weddings, my good friend sent me an invitation."
"We'll see. If I'm in town, we'll definitely attend," Li Tang promised.
Once home, Li Xinqi playfully insisted on staying over, marking a romantic night.
The next morning, refreshed, Li Tang returned to the company. Dai Yingchi immediately presented some financial papers regarding renovations.
Li Tang quickly signed, then asked casually, "Your girlfriend is job-hunting, right? Have her join our company."
Dai Yingchi hesitated politely, "Her major doesn't fit our current job openings."
Li Tang simply smiled warmly, clearly intent on helping them settle comfortably in Yanjing.
"If you think it might be awkward for you two to work at the same company, seeing each other every day, I can talk to Wukuang Group or Shenxia Group, or even Huaxia Bank. Working at one of these places could offer her more stability."
"You're so busy; you shouldn't trouble yourself with minor things like this."
"I'm not busy," Li Tang insisted, genuinely wanting Dai Yingchi to focus wholeheartedly on his work.
Dai Yingchi considered for a moment. Instead of having Li Tang negotiate a position at another company, he preferred arranging a job within their own firm. "How about having Xiao Lu help out in our kitchen?"
"As a chef?" Li Tang laughed aloud.
"She can't cook, but cleaning tables and such would be no problem for her," Dai Yingchi replied earnestly.
"You're really something! Hiring a university graduate just to clear tables—does that even sound reasonable?"
At this point, a college graduate was still considered valuable talent. Yanjing might be crowded with graduates, but in smaller cities, university graduates were still rare.
Li Tang thought for a moment and proposed another idea: "Aren't we setting aside one floor as a leisure and fitness area? Let her manage that. We'll hire professional cleaners and equipment maintainers; her job would simply be supervising them and opening or closing the facility each day. Her title could be 'Floor Manager'."
"I don't think that's appropriate." Dai Yingchi understood Li Tang's intention to create an easy job for Xiao Lu, but he felt uneasy about using company resources for personal favors. He worried that if word got out, it might affect his reputation.
"Do you have a better suggestion?" Li Tang asked, glancing at Dai Yingchi.
"We've been constantly hiring new employees each year," Dai Yingchi said after noticing Li Tang's firm resolve. "Since she used to be a teacher, perhaps she could handle new employee training."
"That's a great idea!" Li Tang agreed readily but added cautiously, "But don't let her get too stressed out."
"Nobody in our company finds their job too stressful," Dai Yingchi assured him, then stood up and left the office.
Li Tang soon walked to the finance department.
Lin Xiaoshu looked up, blushing instantly upon seeing Li Tang. "Mr. Li, you're back from abroad?"
"Why are there so many papers everywhere?" Li Tang noticed piles of documents stacked on everyone's desk.
"We've been dealing with many domestic and overseas transactions lately, so there's a lot of paperwork. I'll tidy them up right away!" Lin Xiaoshu stood up nervously, misunderstanding Li Tang's casual remark as criticism.
"No need to panic; I was just making a casual comment," Li Tang reassured her, pulling up a chair to sit down. He gestured for Lin Xiaoshu to relax. "Please sit, I need to discuss something."
Lin Xiaoshu's cheeks flushed again. "Yes, what is it?"
"Minister Dai mentioned earlier that we need to buy new office equipment, and due to the large amount involved, it requires my signature," Li Tang explained with an amused expression upon noticing her nervousness.
"Oh… right!" Lin Xiaoshu quickly understood and handed him a financial statement. "We need to furnish separate offices for the teams managing the projects in Australia (Lianying Mining), Shazhai Molybdenum, Zhongcheng Mining, and Gongcun Copper & Gold. We also need to set up your personal office, which must be especially spacious and furnished."
"Is furnishing my office going to cost a lot?" Li Tang asked, recalling the budget report Dai Yingchi had shown him earlier. His personal office was indeed the most expensive item.
"Yes," Lin Xiaoshu nodded shyly. "Minister Dai said your office represents our company's image, so it has to be decorated to a high standard."
"He has a point," Li Tang agreed easily.
"Additionally, we're dedicating one floor to an employee cafeteria and another floor for recreational use, both of which require new equipment." Lin Xiaoshu briefly explained before passing the budget list. "The total estimated expense is about three million yuan."
"No problem," Li Tang casually signed the documents.
Currently, only four or five floors in their large office building were in active use. As the company expanded, additional floors would gradually be furnished and put to use.
Even with Li Tang's signature, Lin Xiaoshu remained worried. "Mr. Li, we don't have much money left. Right now, the company only has about a million yuan. If we spend it all on this equipment, we won't have enough to pay salaries next month."
"Is that so?" Li Tang frowned slightly, reflecting carefully.
The 500 million yuan loan from Huaxia Bank had largely been invested into Lianying Mining and the Pebble Project. The 204 million yuan from the Shazhai Molybdenum share transfer had been divided up: the first 50 million yuan was used for loan repayment, the second 50 million yuan to purchase the Yunding Building, and another 50 million yuan as a loan to Northern Dynasty Mining, now owned by Rio Tinto as creditor. Each transaction had been substantial, and the funds disappeared rapidly.
"We still have 200 million U.S. dollars in our overseas account. Should we apply to convert it to yuan?" Lin Xiaoshu suggested, knowing the company had reserves abroad.
"No need to transfer it back," Li Tang said firmly, clearly aware of their assets. "If we transfer that money now, we'll have trouble applying for foreign currency again later when we need it."
Li Tang had clear plans for these funds abroad, whether for Lianying's iron ore project or another investment. He knew holding onto the U.S. dollars too long was risky, especially with the dollar expected to depreciate significantly the next year.
"But we need enough domestic liquidity," Lin Xiaoshu explained anxiously. "If we delay salaries, it could cause serious problems."
"We still have another 50 million yuan incoming," Li Tang reminded her.
"From where?" Lin Xiaoshu was confused for a moment.
"The Shazhai Molybdenum shareholders still owe us 50 million yuan."
"Oh, right," Lin Xiaoshu recalled quickly. "But that payment is scheduled for the end of this year."
"I'll call them and ask for early payment," Li Tang replied confidently, already dialing Geng Feiran's number. "Those companies have made a fortune this year; paying early shouldn't be an issue."
"Li Tang!" Geng Feiran was delighted to hear from him. "Are you in China or abroad?"
"At the office. How have you been, Mr. Geng?"
"Nowhere near as well as you! I've heard you discovered another huge copper-gold deposit overseas!"
"Yes, similar in scale to the Talege copper-gold mine—another large porphyry deposit."
"You're always so quiet about your international projects. You should've included us, Tongdu Nonferrous Group!"
"Just a small project, not worth troubling you."
"A small project? Millions of tons of copper and thousands of tons of gold—you call that small? Your appetite is huge! Even our Tongdu Group doesn't have such reserves."
"I promise next time, you'll be the first to know!"
"You..." Geng laughed, then changed the topic. "By the way, we heard you've sold that mine to Rio Tinto for 330 million U.S. dollars?"
"That's correct."
"You sold too cheaply. We estimated the project could easily sell for twice that price."
"I'm just a small business compared to your vast resources."
"Don't be modest. Your operations abroad have earned everyone's respect."
"Actually, I called today because we're experiencing some cash flow issues. Regarding our Shazhai Molybdenum share transfer agreement, could your Tongdu Group please advance the next payment ahead of schedule?"
"That's it? No problem at all. I'll instruct finance immediately to transfer the money."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Geng."
"No need for thanks! Let's meet up soon in Huizhou. Shazhai Molybdenum's mining rights application has been delayed, and your help might be essential."
"I've been monitoring that. Rest assured."
After hanging up, Li Tang smiled at Lin Xiaoshu. "See? Problem solved."
"You're really effective. Tongdu Group paid immediately," Lin Xiaoshu admired sincerely, recalling how difficult it was collecting payments at her previous job.
Li Tang then called Xiao Yongyue and Liu Shanlong, directly requesting the early payments. Both were doing exceptionally well financially and agreed promptly.
Funds quickly arrived. Li Tang made a quick round, chatting with various departments. Without much delay, he booked flights, and, accompanied by two team members from Zhongcheng Mining, flew directly to Kulun, Mongolia.
Qin Jianshe awaited him anxiously at the airport, looking visibly tired.
"You've worked too hard lately," Li Tang greeted warmly.
"The Mongolian authorities seem deliberately delaying our approvals," Qin explained frustratedly.
"They just want equity," Li Tang stated plainly.
"They haven't explicitly asked yet," Qin admitted helplessly.
"If they don't speak up, we'll do it for them," Li Tang smiled calmly.
"Have you agreed on this with Mr. Niu and other shareholders?" Qin asked cautiously.
"They already know and support it," Li Tang assured him confidently.
"Are we really giving equity for free?" Qin still felt reluctant.
"There are no free lunches," Li Tang said firmly. "Our bottom line is 34% equity."
"Too much!" Qin felt a sharp pain at the thought.
"We're in Mongolia; these resources naturally belong to its people," Li Tang said magnanimously.
Qin nodded resignedly, still troubled.
When they arrived at Mongolia's Ministry of Industry and Trade, Minister Bayar greeted Li Tang eagerly, standing up immediately with a warm smile: "Li Tang, you're finally here!"
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