Chapter 213: Control

It might indeed make more money in the short term, but it would harm the company in the long run.

However, Li Xiao knew that not everyone could think that far ahead.

Moreover, some of the shareholders were investment firms. Those capital-driven firms would only consider whether they could get a sufficient return. They wouldn’t care if the product quality affected ordinary people, much less whether the company could remain profitable in the long term.

After all, it was a ‘use it or lose it’ situation. If their bosses didn’t see returns, the people working for them would be replaced in a heartbeat.

‘Not to mention I have the system, so I’m not short on cash.’

Even if he didn’t have the system and was just an ordinary rich kid, there was no way he would accept their terms.

Haitian Flavors was one of the top three condiment companies in Xia Country, and more than a third of the general population used their products.

And because Haitian Flavors’ pricing was quite affordable, many restaurants used their large bottles of seasonings.

This meant that many of the dishes ordinary people ate when dining out were likely made with Haitian Flavors’ seasonings.

A reduction of over 10% in raw material costs, even without any shady dealings or quid pro quo, would at the very least mean a drop in raw material quality of nearly 10%.

It would be absolutely impossible for it not to affect the final product.

Li Xiao said calmly,

“Quality is the cornerstone of a brand’s long-term foundation. Even if it saves money, if it affects product quality, it will be detrimental to the company’s long-term development. I need to personally investigate the specifics of these raw materials before making a decision.”

Zhu Huichang’s expression turned a bit awkward. He clearly hadn’t expected Li Xiao to make such a request.

He had originally assumed the task was in the bag when he received it.

After all, the offer of ten K10 positions was an extremely tempting condition in itself.

If it were him, he probably would have agreed long ago.

However, he soon hit upon a possibility. ‘This young man probably thinks our offer isn’t good enough, and that’s why he’s making this demand.’

Zhu Huichang cursed Li Xiao’s greed inwardly, but the smile on his face grew even brighter.

Zhu Huichang tried to persuade Li Xiao,

“Mr. Li, I can understand your concerns, which is why we’re willing to offer you even better terms. If you agree to our proposal, we can offer you an additional ten K9 positions. A K9 position comes with an annual salary of 500,000.”

“We truly value your support and believe this will be a mutually beneficial decision.”

“These are five-year contracts, and as long as the company doesn’t undergo any major changes, they can all be renewed. We are truly being very sincere.”

Li Xiao smiled, but he had already made up his mind.

He knew that if he refused directly, the other party would likely continue to pester him endlessly.

Therefore, he decided to provisionally agree to their proposal to avoid a direct confrontation.

“Mr. Zhu, I understand your position, and I thank you for your generous offer. I will consider this proposal seriously and make my final decision at the shareholders’ meeting.”

After the meeting, Li Xiao left the coffee shop.

He immediately took out his phone and dialed Zhang Li’s private number.

“Lawyer Zhang, you must know a few private investigators. I need to hire one to look into something for me.”

Hearing his request, the corner of Zhang Li’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Mr. Li, you must understand, I am a professional, top-tier lawyer, not a…”

Li Xiao:

“100,000. Just give me a phone number, and I can handle the rest myself.”

Zhang Li:

“COUGH, COUGH, COUGH… As a professional, top-tier lawyer, I naturally have plenty of such investigators on hand. I’ll find you a few reliable ones right now.”

After hanging up, Li Xiao directly sent him a transfer for 100,000.

The next moment, he received the phone numbers of three private investigators.

After explaining his needs to the three of them, the private investigators immediately patted their chests, guaranteeing they could gather the information he wanted within two days.

The three private investigators Zhang Li introduced were indeed very reliable. Not only were they fast, but the information they collected was also extremely thorough. They had even dug up all the dirt on the other party; it was more than worth the money.

Li Xiao sneered to himself as he looked at the information in his hands.

‘No wonder they were pushing so hard to change the raw material supplier.’

The proposed raw material supplier was named Linshan Food.

Li Xiao had searched for information on this company before, but he couldn’t find anything about Linshan Food Company online or through market channels.

But these private investigators were quite resourceful. In just one day, they had found the company’s file.

This Linshan Food was not a new enterprise, but an old one. The reason no information could be found was that they had recently changed their name. The raw material supplier’s original name was Lin Hui Food.

There was plenty of information online about Lin Hui Food. Although the raw materials they sold were very cheap, the company had been involved in food safety incidents more than once, and the quality of their raw materials was deeply troubling.

A while back, after the company suffered huge losses, its senior shareholders had undergone a major reshuffle.

An investment firm called Fengxing Venture Capital injected capital and took a controlling stake. Now, Fengxing Venture Capital held over 80% of Lin Hui Food’s shares.

After the shareholder restructuring, the original Lin Hui Food was renamed to the current Linshan Food.

Additionally, the private investigators had also discovered that Fengxing Venture Capital itself was one of Haitian Flavors’ major shareholders, owning over 23% of the shares.

‘No wonder they’re so desperate to change the raw material supplier. Turns out the other company is one of ‘their own people’ too.’

Li Xiao’s brows furrowed as he processed this information.

Clearly, a deep-seated conflict of interest was hidden behind this whole affair.

By changing Haitian Flavors’ raw material supplier to Linshan Food, Fengxing Venture Capital could not only reap huge profits but also manipulate the quality of Haitian Flavors’ products by controlling the raw materials, thereby further expanding its influence in the industry.

He recalled Zhu Huichang telling him that the vote among shareholders was split 49.52% in favor to 49.57% against.

The vote was extremely close, and the two factions together held 99.09% of the shares.

The key to the vote now lay with the shares held by a few retail investors.

And with 0.4% of the shares in his hands, his vote could essentially settle the matter.

But he hadn’t given a clear answer the other day, just a vague and noncommittal response.

‘If they continue to lobby other private shareholders over the next three days, they might just manage to secure more than half the votes.’