Yang Dawei was both amused and exasperated when he heard his friend's phone call.

If he had that much influence, would he need to go to such lengths?

The Sofia Hotel is quite well-known in Kunming and even in southern Yunnan. If it were mortgaged, it should be able to get a considerable loan.

The ransom is definitely enough, but the penalty for breach of contract is still quite a bit short.

It's not a hotel in a first-tier city, after all.

The penalty for breach of contract is usually three times the amount, but in this case, in order to cut in and make money, he wrote four times the amount.

Considering the value of the two ships carrying a total of 40,000 tons of fuel, he would have to pay four or five hundred million in breach of contract penalties.

Moreover, if he can't repay the loan and the hotel is gone, Yang Dawei will never be able to recover.

As for borrowing money from friends, he simply doesn't have any close friends in his circle who can readily provide hundreds of millions in ransom and even more in default penalties.

Even if someone can provide it, why would they help you?

In business relationships where profit is paramount, you'll lose unless you can offer someone enough benefits.

Yang Dawei woke up with dark circles under his eyes in the morning.

These past few days he has been unable to eat or sleep, and his energy and spirits are in a terrible state.

If this continues, I'll need sleeping pills to sleep.

I walked weakly to the toilet and brushed my teeth only after a violent bout of dry heaving.

I rinsed my face with cold water and rubbed my palms together vigorously, trying to cheer myself up.

At least for now, he is still the wholly-owned general manager of the Sofia Hotel, and he cannot show his dejection in front of his subordinates.

At that moment, a close friend called.

Looking at the caller ID, Yang Dawei hoped he could bring good news.

"Hey, Dawei, I have good news. Mr. Gao from Dawanghui is willing to meet with you."

Yang Dawei's eyes lit up. Dawanghui was the absolute leader in the chain supermarket and retail industry in Yunnan Province and the surrounding areas, with a market share of over 60%.

Dawanghui has a huge cash flow. If we can persuade General Manager Gao to help him out of his immediate crisis, there is hope that we can get through this crisis.

"Okay, okay, good brother, when?" Yang Dawei asked excitedly.

"I've made an appointment for you. It'll be at 3:15 this afternoon on the 31st floor of Wanghui Building. I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of Wanghui Building at 2:30."

Xu Maojun on the other end of the phone directly told Yang Dawei all the things he was concerned about.

"Okay, I'll definitely be there. Thanks, brother. I'll treat you to drinks next time."

"Don't mention it. Just don't stand me up later. That's all."

After the call ended, Yang Dawei felt a glimmer of hope.

As long as Gao Youming's conditions aren't too demanding, Yang Dawei will definitely agree to them and then borrow enough money from Dawanghui Group.

The rare good news whetted Yang Dawei's appetite.

For breakfast, I ate four meat buns, a bag of soy milk, and an egg.

After giving some guidance at the Sofia Hotel in a pleasant mood, he went to his office with his secretary to discuss how to negotiate with Gao Youming.

...

In the afternoon, although he was not sleepy, Yang Dawei looked unwell due to not getting enough rest for several days.

I forced myself to sleep for an hour so that I wouldn't be in a bad state later.

At 2:20 p.m., Yang Dawei's Bentley arrived at the entrance of Wanghui Building.

His friend Xu Maojun was already waiting there.

This friend, with whom Yang Dawei had a fairly good relationship but who never asked Yang Dawei for favors, stepped forward at a crucial moment, which deeply moved Yang Dawei.

When the incident first happened, everyone else just called to inquire, but Xu Maojun personally came to discuss solutions.

You don't need many friends; having one reliable one in a critical moment is enough. That's what Yang Dawei is thinking right now.

Yang Dawei got out of the car and went to greet him without waiting for the driver to open the door for him.

"Maojun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Xu Maojun and Yang Dawei shook hands.

"I just arrived too. Let's go up first and confirm some details."

...

After reviewing a document, Gao Youming picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

I flipped through the document about Yang Dawei again.

Then he picked up the phone and dialed his secretary.

"Let them in."

A short while later, Yang Dawei entered the office with his secretary and Xu Maojun.

Gao Youming looked up, his gaze lingering on Yang Dawei for two seconds, before he lowered his head again to write something on the paper.

"sit."

The three of them sat on several chairs opposite the desk.

"Mr. Yang, I've heard about your situation and verified some of it. I can lend you a sufficient sum of money; I'll transfer 500 million to your account in one go."

Yang Dawei was overjoyed and wanted to stand up and speak.

Gao Youming raised his hand to stop him.

"Mr. Yang, when we do business, we always have to talk about interests. I can lend you the money, but I hope Mr. Yang can give me a bottom line on what benefits Wang Hui can get."

Neither of them were children, and Yang Dawei had long been prepared to have his blood drawn.

He gestured to his secretary, who handed him a document.

Yang Dawei stood up, turned the document around, and handed it to Gao Youming with both hands.

Gao Youming took the document and began to read it.

The document is short and the text is not dense, but the information it conveys is very clear.

Yang Dawei is willing to transfer 15% of the equity of the Sovia Grand Hotel and its three three-star hotels as interest on this loan.

The borrowed funds will be repaid within 5 years.

Gao Youming frowned and read it carefully, but did not express his opinion for the time being, which made Yang Dawei on the side nervous.

"Mr. Yang, to be honest, your document is already quite sincere."

"However, I think it is still not enough compared to the financial risks that Dawanghui needs to bear."

"Let me be frank. We can give up the equity of those three three-star hotels, and even repay the amount. Dawanghui only needs to recover 300 million, but we need 70% of the equity of the Sofia Hotel."

Yang Dawei stood up abruptly.

"That's impossible!"

After finishing speaking, I realized I had gotten too excited and wanted to calm down.

"Mr. Gao, what I mean is, this condition is a bit hard for me to accept. The value of the Sofia Hotel is more than just..."

Gao Youming stopped Yang Dawei from continuing.

"I know, I know. Well then, Mr. Yang, you can go back and think about it some more. I have a meeting later, so I won't keep you company any longer."

After saying that, Gao Youming stood up and walked out of the office.

"Mr. Gao, could you please be a little more flexible with these conditions..."

Xu Maojun wanted to say something in his defense.

"Mr. Xu, businessmen are driven by profit. I'm already doing you a favor by letting you meet with Mr. Yang. Dawanghui isn't a place where I can make the decisions all by myself."

After leaving those words, Gao Youming walked out of the office.

...

Yang Dawei returned home somewhat dejectedly.

Sitting in the executive chair in the study, I felt a mix of struggle and despondency.

Those damned pirates!

Gao Youming's conditions were demanding, but Dawanghui was able to provide him with 500 million yuan at once.

The bank's interest rates are slightly lower, but it's difficult to borrow enough money.

"Why!"

His hands, seemingly lost in thought, rested on the table and knocked over his business card holder.

Yang Dawei bent down to pick it up, but smelled a refreshing fragrance that invigorated him. A light ink-colored business card lay outside.

It reads: Wu You, Wanshoushanzhuang Biotechnology Company.

Yang Dawei instantly recalled the young talent he had previously used to curry favor with a rare yellow croaker.

The person who could chat intimately with many important figures, including a Saudi prince, at a special auction.

etc!

Saudi prince! Fuel!