After the stock markets closed, Su Yi went to the restaurant where Liang Wei had invited him.
This time, the other party chose the rather famous Peace Hotel in Modu to host him, and the reception's standard was noticeably higher than their last meal together.
The arrangement of dishes, the drinks, and the private room attendants...
Su Yi took a quick glance and knew that Liang Wei had put a lot of thought into it.
"Mr. Liang is truly too kind."
Su Yi smiled as he greeted Liang Wei, then sat down without ceremony, saying,
"Mr. Liang looks quite a bit more haggard than last time."
Liang Wei subtly nodded to the attendant standing nearby.
As the two beautiful waitresses opened and poured the wine, he couldn't help but sigh softly, saying,
"Since parting with Mr. Su last time, I've really been running around a lot this past month for the company's financing. My mental state might be a bit worse than last time, I apologize, Mr. Su."
"I didn't mean anything else."
Su Yi said with a smile,
"I just think that those of you in manufacturing sometimes... are indeed very hardworking."
Liang Wei said,
"There's no other way, once you choose this path, you always have to keep going."
Currently, his factory has over a thousand employees.
Industry demand is sluggish, the factory is facing operational difficulties, and the pressure on his shoulders is not just his own; it also concerns the livelihoods of the factory's thousand employees.
The funds from selling the house last time, after settling the material payments with suppliers,
have run out.
If this continues, the company's capital chain will completely break within two months at most.
By then, let alone repaying overdue bank loans, he might not even be able to pay employee salaries.
The key is, even if they lose money every day they produce, he dares not halt production.
Because once production stops, it means losing orders, failing in transformation, and being completely defeated by competitors.
Therefore, even with continuous losses, and even if there's currently no hope of an industry demand recovery, as long as he has even a sliver of ability to secure funding, he is absolutely unwilling to consider halting production, actively reducing capacity, or relinquishing orders and market share.
"Mr. Liang, has your company still not found financing channels?" Su Yi asked.
Liang Wei replied helplessly,
"With no hope of a demand recovery in the industry, no capital dares to invest. This past month, I've been everywhere, including our Modu, as well as Yanjing, Yuhang, Jinling, Yuezhou, Shenshi, Gangcheng... I've visited everywhere. I've contacted seven or eight domestic investment institutions interested in the 'new energy lithium battery' industry during this period, but ultimately, no one is willing to invest at this time."
"Hasn't the country recently introduced many supportive policies for the 'new energy lithium battery' sector?"
Su Yi continued with a smile,
"Are institutions still unwilling to invest?"
"What's the use of just having policies?"
Liang Wei said,
"I was the one who strongly advocated for the company to transition in this direction precisely because of policy support, but who knew... there are only policies, no demand. The current market demand space is so small, and everyone is scrambling for survival, which has led to increasingly squeezed profits. Now, due to the industry's sluggish demand, everyone is taking orders at a loss."
"Is the entire industry already operating at a loss?" Su Yi asked.
Liang Wei said,
"Pretty much. Those of us in this business are basically struggling now, all wanting to squeeze out competitors. But everyone thinks that way, everyone wants to wait for capacity to clear, everyone wants to acquire the orders and market left open after competitors go bankrupt. How can it be that easy?"
"Indeed."
Su Yi nodded slightly,
"Capacity clearing in any industry is painful and agonizing."
Liang Wei said,
"The main reason is that the sales demand for 'new energy vehicles' isn't picking up. The country previously formulated a plan called the 'Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan 2012-2020'. Looking at it now, I personally feel this plan was a bit too optimistic.
Of course, in addition to 'new energy vehicles,' which significantly impact the demand side for 'lithium batteries,' the current 3C battery industry and the lithium battery energy storage market are also not doing well; demand is somewhat stagnant.
It's the combined impact of these factors that has led to the sluggish demand across the entire industry, and operational difficulties for companies like ours.
However, I believe the current difficulties are only temporary. If we look at it from a long-term perspective, whether it's the 3C battery market, the energy storage market, or the 'new energy vehicle' market, with the further maturation of 'lithium battery' technology and national policy support, the prospects will still be very good."
"It's rare for Mr. Liang to still have such confidence," Su Yi praised.
Liang Wei said,
"If I lose confidence, then the company will be even more doomed. So, even if others lack confidence, I absolutely must have it!"
"Actually, I'm quite optimistic about the future development of new energy vehicles and the 'lithium battery' industry," Su Yi said.
"Industry transformations and technological innovations are never smooth sailing, and there's never a shortage of naysayers. But as long as the direction is correct, it will eventually break through the darkness and usher in dawn."
"Mr. Su is indeed farsighted."
Liang Wei praised him, then raised a toast to Su Yi.
Changing the subject, he continued to discuss corporate financing:
"I know Mr. Su's family has extensive connections in Modu's financial and investment circles. Since Mr. Su also believes that the future development of the new energy vehicle industry and the 'lithium battery' sector has good prospects, I wonder if you could help introduce institutions interested in investing in this area. Our company truly needs this kind of financing."
Su Yi heard his plea but didn't answer directly.
Instead, he ate two bites of the crab meat peeled by the beautiful waitress and asked,
"Mr. Liang, is your funding requirement still 200 million?"
"Yes!"
Liang Wei nodded, paused, and then added,
"If 200 million is truly difficult, 150 million... is also acceptable."
"May I see your financing proposal and business plan?" Su Yi continued.
Liang Wei was momentarily stunned.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, he quickly instructed his secretary to retrieve the financing proposal and plan from the car downstairs.
Following Liang Wei's instruction.
After about ten minutes, the secretary handed the financing proposal and plan to Su Yi.
Su Yi put down his chopsticks, roughly flipped through the documents, and said,
"Judging from the proposal and plan, Mr. Liang's sincerity is good. However, a financing scale of 200 million is not a small sum. I still need to conduct an on-site inspection, personally evaluate, and understand your company's operational status and specific financial situation."
"Listening to Mr. Su's words..."
Liang Wei's heart skipped a beat.
Su Yi smiled faintly and said,
"If the on-site inspection and final assessment present no problems, and all operational data and financial conditions align with what Mr. Liang stated in the plan, I can personally invest these 200 million to meet your company's financing needs."
"200 million... Mr. Su can invest it himself?"
Liang Wei's heart jolted.
It took him a long while to come back to his senses, staring at Su Yi in disbelief.
This was 200 million, not 2 million, nor 20 million! He truly found it hard to believe that Su Yi, at such a young age and without relying on his family, could produce 200 million in cash.
"What, Mr. Liang doesn't believe it?"
Su Yi said with a smile.
"It's not that I don't believe it,"
Liang Wei said,
"it just feels a bit like a dream."
He had searched high and low for the past two months to no avail, but never expected... the true god to be right before his eyes.
"As long as there's sincerity, dreams sometimes do come true," Su Yi smiled and continued,
"Mr. Liang, please arrange it for tomorrow. You can accompany me to visit your company and the factories underneath. I'd like to take a look at your company's current actual situation and production status."
Although Su Yi believed that the operational and financial data in Liang Wei's financing plan were true,
for his peace of mind,
he would still personally inspect it, visit on-site, and then hire an external auditing firm to audit it.
"Alright, alright!"
Liang Wei hastily responded,
"You're welcome anytime, Mr. Su."
As he spoke, Liang Wei quickly raised his wine glass and toasted Su Yi again, an excited and joyful smile involuntarily appearing on his face.
Afterward, the two ate and chatted, drinking a considerable amount of wine before finally parting ways.
The next day, after Su Yi woke up and had breakfast, he called Liang Wei.
Then, by the time he walked out of his residential compound, Liang Wei and his secretary were already waiting in a car at the entrance.
Su Yi got into the car and headed straight to Putai New Materials Company.
Accompanied by Liang Wei and many senior executives of Putai New Materials Company, he inspected all the production workshops under Putai New Materials Company and gained an understanding of the company's specific operational status, including cooperative enterprises, main order sources, suppliers, accounts receivable and payable, corporate loans... and other basic information.
After the company inspection,
after another reception hosted by Liang Wei and a group of his company's senior executives,
Su Yi signed a very preliminary investment framework agreement with Putai New Materials Company, which is wholly owned by Liang Wei.
Subsequently, on Sunday, September 6th.
Su Yi found a law firm and an auditing firm.
He commissioned the law firm to draft a formal investment contract, and simultaneously, with Liang Wei's knowledge, had the auditing firm conduct a comprehensive due diligence on Putai New Materials Company's specific operational and financial status.
Finally, on Thursday, September 10th, after Su Yi received the detailed data feedback from the auditing firm,
he assessed the current enterprise valuation of Putai New Materials Company.
Only then did he sign a formal investment agreement with Liang Wei.
By mutual agreement, Su Yi would inject 200 million yuan into Putai New Materials Company through capital increase and share expansion.
After the capital injection, the equity structure will change.
Namely, Su Yi and Liang Wei will each hold 50% of Putai New Materials Company's equity, but the company's operating rights will remain unchanged, still belonging to Liang Wei.
(End of this chapter)
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