Chapter 178 - 177: Taking Over Cangwu Garden
Cangwu Garden still had that same, slightly rundown look.
The only difference was the sweltering heat. Clearly, Wang Yisheng had no desire to properly maintain the place; he was doing the bare minimum to stay within the Municipal Government’s guidelines.
Yang Shen arrived alone. Inside the Cangwu Tea Garden, Wang Yisheng was already waiting, accompanied by Cao Wei and Yuan Rui.
All eight members of the Yang Family Army had contributed, but having no one show up would make them seem weak, while having everyone show up would look like an unruly mob. So, two of them came to represent the group.
Cao Wei acted as the intermediary, while Yuan Rui was the brains of the operation.
The moment they saw Yang Shen walk in, Cao Wei and Yuan Rui rose, knelt, and offered their greetings in one fluid motion. "Honored Teacher, it’s been too long."
This bizarre display left Wang Yisheng stunned. His gaze toward Yang Shen now held a hint of apprehension.
His own situation was so dire he had no mind for anything else. Few adults paid attention to the college entrance exams, so naturally, he didn’t recognize Yang Shen as the Champion Scholar.
Yang Shen helped his two disciples to their feet. He could tell Yuan Rui was trying to create a certain atmosphere.
As for Cao Wei... she was just enjoying the theatrics.
After Yang Shen sat down, Wang Yisheng could barely contain himself as he spoke his first words.
"Vice President Yang, what ruthless methods... spreading rumors everywhere that my Cangwu Garden was built on top of a cemetery!"
Wang Yisheng seemed to be grinding his teeth.
Yang Shen: ...
He turned to look at Cao Wei and Yuan Rui. Their faces were blank.
Wang Yisheng continued, "And you waited for my grandson outside his elementary school, buying him a grilled sausage every day. Do you think I can’t see that for the threat it is?!"
Yang Shen kept his eyes on Cao Wei and Yuan Rui. They remained expressionless.
Wang Yisheng went on, "Even my affair with my secretary was exposed to her husband! Now she’s divorced and pesters me every day to leave my wife, throwing my whole family into chaos! Such ruthless tactics!"
Yang Shen: -_-
’Sorry, but you definitely had that one coming.’
Yang Shen discreetly gave a thumbs-up to his side.
Cao Wei beamed. ’I love it when Master gives me a thumbs-up!’
Wang Yisheng looked even more exhausted than the last time they’d met. His eyes were bloodshot... The man probably had some degree of Martial Cultivation, yet he still looked consumed by stress, with sores forming at the corners of his mouth.
’Looks like he’s about to break.’
In reality, that was indeed the case. He had already lost a total of forty to fifty million on this land, and on top of that, he had to pay over three million in maintenance fees annually. The Cangwu Tea Garden itself was a money pit, generating only losses.
He worried that if he neglected it completely, he’d never get a good price, but the upkeep was a substantial expense.
He could afford it back when his business was doing well, but now, the cost was excruciating.
Wang Yisheng took a deep breath to compose himself. "If you want to buy it, just come and negotiate directly. You don’t need to resort to these petty tricks. Thirty million, and the place is yours!"
Yang Shen didn’t respond, just sipped his tea quietly.
’That’s a ridiculously high asking price.’
Wang Yisheng had been asking for thirty million for a long time. If he could have sold it at that price, he would have done so already.
Just as expected, Yuan Rui chimed in at the perfect moment:
"President Wang, from what I understand, landscaping maintenance is most expensive in the spring. That’s when plants come back to life, new shoots sprout, and insects start to breed. The costs for that season alone make up forty to fifty percent of the annual budget."
Wang Yisheng: "So?"
Yuan Rui said coolly, "And now it’s already summer. Looking at the state of Cangwu Garden, it’s clear it’s been completely neglected. You must not have done any of the spring maintenance, which means you can no longer afford the fees, correct?"
"If you let this drag on, the grounds will fall into disarray, and the Municipal Government will have to step in. You’ll likely face a hefty fine. Of course, compared to the cash flow problems your company is facing, that’s just pocket change."
’In other words: Stop bullshitting and get real.’
Wang Yisheng snorted. "Twenty-eight million. I can’t go any lower. The Cangwu Tea Garden alone cost me more than that to build."
Cao Wei said coolly, "The estimated construction cost for the Cangwu Tea Garden was 14.5 million, for a total area of 2,800 square meters. And since your own company handled the construction, the actual cost was likely even lower."
Wang Yisheng shot back, "Twenty-five million! I paid ten million for the land and then built this whole place. I have to at least break even, don’t I?"
Yuan Rui chuckled. "Do you really think ten million can buy a plot this size in Jianghuai? You know better than anyone what went on behind the scenes to acquire it. You made a bad gamble, President Wang. It’s time to admit it."
"Besides, when a company is about to collapse, its assets are irrelevant. Its debts are what matter. What matters more is finding the cash to stay afloat. Be realistic, President Wang."
The two sides went back and forth, and it was clear that Yuan Rui and his team had done their homework.
’Yang Shen was genuinely impressed.’
’It’s rare for someone so young to be this meticulous.’
Cao Wei, on the other hand, was less impressive. She was secretly looking at her phone under the table, apparently getting some outside help.
In the span of their back-and-forth, the price had been slashed from thirty million to eighteen million, and Yang Shen hadn’t even uttered a single word.
His two disciples had already knocked the price down by 40%.
The price eventually stalled at fifteen million. Despite a long and fierce verbal battle, Yuan Rui couldn’t get it to drop any further.
Only then did Yang Shen speak his first words of the day.
"Ten million."
"What?"
Yang Shen said, "Ten million. That’s my offer."
Wang Yisheng nearly leaped out of his seat.
’Fifteen million was already absurd, but ten million? Are you kidding me?!’
In truth, this was a price Yang Shen had carefully considered. The Yang Family’s current savings, combined with the income from his recent endorsements, totaled around seventeen million.
But he couldn’t spend all of it. The Cangwu Tea Garden had good bones, but it wasn’t currently habitable and would require extensive renovations.
He also planned to section off a part of the park and convert it into a private Spirit Field. His Spirit Plant Inheritance would save him on maintenance costs, but the land still needed to be tilled, fenced, and shielded from view, all of which would require hiring people.
After factoring in various additional taxes and fees, plus the need to leave some capital for his family, securing the property for ten million was the best-case scenario. The total outlay would likely be closer to fifteen million.
With a loud SLAM, Wang Yisheng banged his teacup down on the table. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"I’d sooner die on the street or jump off a building than accept that price!"
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed out.
Cao Wei and Yuan Rui started to rise to stop him, but Yang Shen held them back.
He gave a slight shake of his head.
’To Wang Yisheng, any serious buyer is a lifeline. He’ll come around.’
Wang Yisheng paused for a moment. When he saw no one was trying to stop him or even offer a single conciliatory word, he grew even more incensed. Just then, his phone rang. He answered it and continued walking away.
As he spoke, his expression grew animated.
"Huh? What? Are you serious?"
After a few more steps, Wang Yisheng performed a dramatic about-face and sat back down.
He said with a solemn expression, "Ten million. I accept that price."
————
Unexpectedly, they had reached Yang Shen’s target price in their very first meeting.
Yang Shen had thought it would take several rounds of haggling.
Of course, the official process couldn’t be settled over a cup of tea. There were many complex steps still to come. Yang Shen planned to make the purchase under his company’s name.
Since it was a sole proprietorship, it would conveniently help offset the massive net profit from his endorsement contract, allowing him to avoid a hefty tax bill.
This was all advice from Fan Jing; most of the endorsement income was already on the company’s books.
The two parties agreed to handle the paperwork and transfer of ownership in three days. Afterward, Yang Shen took another tour of the Cangwu Tea Garden, making notes of the areas he planned to renovate.
Barring any surprises, the grand ancestral home of the Jianghuai Yang Family was about to be officially established.
It might not compare to the private mansions in the Yellow Dragon District, which were worth hundreds of millions, but... the Immortal Race doesn’t build for a single generation, but for ten thousand.
This place would become ever more famous, more prosperous, and more deeply etched with the mark of the Yang Family.
Even the current restrictions imposed by the Municipal Government, like the public access requirement for the green spaces, would be a trivial matter to change once the Yang Family truly rose to power. It would take but a single word.
After the trio left, Wang Yisheng hastily made a call, as if terrified the other party might change their mind. "President Cao, about those terms you mentioned earlier... are they still on the table?"
On the other end of the line, Cao Yue replied coolly, "Of course. You agree to the ten-million price, and I’ll cover the remaining five million. I’ll also have a word with a few friends to put a two-month hold on your external debts."
Wang Yisheng breathed a long sigh of relief. A great weight had finally been lifted from his mind.
"President Cao, since you’re helping the young man so much, shouldn’t you tell him directly? That way he’ll be in your debt."
In his office, Cao Yue chuckled. "If he knew, it would feel too deliberate..."
The truth was, Cao Wei had her phone on speaker the entire time. His precious daughter had naturally roped her old man in for "outside help." Most of what Cao Wei had said during the haggling were actually instructions from Cao Yue.
And as for that final assist...
’Was five million a lot of money?’
’To the poor, yes.’
’But to the rich, not really. Cao Yue wasn’t Wang Yisheng; his business wasn’t in trouble. In fact, it was booming.’
’Five million was a small price to pay for a potential opportunity.’
Cao Yue hung up the phone and smiled, pleased with himself.
After learning that Yang Shen was the Champion Scholar, Cao Yue’s opinion of his daughter’s eccentric master had changed completely.
His daughter’s strange antics had certainly embarrassed him, but he’d looked into it later and found that Yang Shen hadn’t been the one to teach her.
Rather, the eight disciples had all gradually become strange on their own... His own daughter was even leading the charge...
So while he was exasperated, he no longer felt so awkward about Yang Shen.
On the contrary, this was a young man destined for greatness. In another two years, he himself might not even have the standing to invest in someone like him.
After all, far too many Martial Arts Families had their eyes on the Jianghuai Champion Scholar. Compared to them, who was he, Cao Yue?
’Forging a good connection now might pay off handsomely in the future... In fact, it would be best if Yang Shen never found out.’
’Goodwill needed time to ferment.’
Inside his luxurious office, just as Cao Yue was about to get back to work, he suddenly received a call from his daughter.
"Dad... Master and I just went our separate ways. Before he left, he told me... to thank you for him. He said he’ll pay back the difference in price with interest later. I don’t really get it... what difference?"
Cao Yue froze, processing her words for a moment.
Then, a faint smile touched his lips. "I see."
’So much for letting the goodwill ferment.’
But if anything, this made Cao Yue even more certain he’d made the right call.
This Champion Scholar was more perceptive than he’d imagined, which only meant his future would be that much brighter.
"Weiwei, your master is definitely going to renovate Cangwu Garden. You should ask him later if he needs any help... We can offer him a very long payment term, and a discount."
’Since there’s no time for the goodwill to ferment, I might as well double down.’
——