Chapter 302 — The Question of Seed Capital
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Oh?" Wei Zhao was startled; he had not expected Guan Xuewen to say such a thing. Most people, when something good comes along, think first of their own children, yet Guan Xuewen had flatly ruled out any possibility of involving his eldest son.
"Heh heh, he has money enough to spend already. I do not wish to ruin him." Guan Xuewen smiled. "My younger son—Xinxin's father—does business in Linzi and has some money in hand, but his company is not very large; the whole enterprise put together is likely worth only two or three hundred million, with nowhere near that much liquid capital. So I do not wish either of them to take part in this matter. My health is still sound at present, so it is no concern, but in the future... heh heh..."
Guan Xuewen did not go on, but Wei Zhao would surely understand his meaning. Indeed, Wei Zhao understood him well, and was deeply shaken—he had already been certain that Guan Xuewen was an upright old man indifferent to fame and fortune, but he had never imagined the old man saw things so clearly. At the very moment Wei Zhao had but proposed the notion of a partnership, he had already shut both of his family members out of it.
"Grandpa Guan... giving them some non-voting shares would be no problem at all," Wei Zhao said, a little embarrassed.
"No need." Guan Xuewen shook his head. "Never mind them—I don't even want the equity myself!"
"Ah?" Wei Zhao was startled. "How can that be? Then how am I to borrow your reputation?"
"You rascal... let me finish!" Cut off by Wei Zhao, Guan Xuewen was torn between laughter and tears. "I hadn't finished speaking!"
"Er... all right, Grandpa Guan, go on." Wei Zhao, now well acquainted with Guan Xuewen, had lost his initial reserve.
In truth, the two had long since become friends despite the difference in their years, ever since they had discussed medical questions the last time.
"Xinxin is the granddaughter I love most. If possible, just allocate a small portion of the shares to her name—that will do," Guan Xuewen said. "Not much; enough for her to live on hereafter."
"That goes without saying." Wei Zhao agreed without a moment's thought.
"Don't be in such a hurry to agree. Boot it up yourself—you still have to come up with the money on your own!" Guan Xuewen waved a hand and said gravely, "True, my name carries weight with every great family, and I could bring in a good deal of investment, but this pharmaceutical company of yours—you'd best not let outsiders take a share in it!"
"The profits from the Kang family's Golden Wound Medicine have long made people's eyes turn green, but there's nothing to be done—no one can worm their way in. They run it in an entirely clan-based fashion, with no outsiders involved," Guan Xuewen went on. "So long as the old master Kang is still alive, there won't be any trouble. But your company—if you let others in, I can't promise that my name will still carry any weight when profit is on the table."
"I understand, Grandpa Guan. I'll find a way to raise the capital myself." Wei Zhao nodded.
Guan Xuewen said nothing more. A hundred million in start-up capital might sound like a fairy tale to an ordinary person, but Guan Xuewen knew that Wei Zhao was no ordinary person.
A man who was a comrade-in-arms of Yang Huaijun, a man in possession of such marvelous medical skill—how could he possibly be ordinary?
"By the way, there's a patient's case I'd like to discuss with you. Lend me your judgment—see if you can think of any good course of treatment?" As he spoke, Guan Xuewen began pulling a stack of medical records from the table, already prepared beforehand.