Since Lu Fan, as the boss, wasn't being secretive, what reason did Zhou Huan, as an employee, have to hide anything? So he spoke directly:

According to Mr. Zhu, Fumantang's operations have encountered difficulties.

He had barely finished speaking when Lü Qiuyi chimed in:

"Yes, judging from the documents alone, there is not much cash left in the operating accounts, and there is a risk of the cash flow breaking down at any time."

Zhou Huan nodded affirmatively:

"As for what the cash was used for, Mr. Zhu should know, based on my prediction."

"If Fumantang fails to settle accounts by the end of the year, it may be in serious trouble, or even face a financial crisis."

Lü Qiuyi also asked Lu Fan:

"Regarding funding issues, Manager Zhou and I are not professionals after all. If President Lu wants to know how much funding is still needed, he can arrange for Finance Department 147 to come and follow up now."

Zhou Huan and Lü Qiuyi's words had already made Zhu Dafu and the eldest son of the Zhu family, who had accompanied him, look quite unpleasant.

Unexpectedly, the other party immediately knew what problems were going on with Fumantang's operations.

This left them with nowhere to hide their true intentions, putting them at a disadvantage. Zhu Dafu, considering that his third uncle Lu was an old friend, couldn't bear to argue with a junior and spoke up first.

It turns out that Zhu Dafu made some money in his early years and was quite extravagant.

He already has three ex-wives, and now he has a fourth young wife living with him.

He may not have to pay alimony to his ex-wife who bore him children, but he cannot abandon his son.

His current wife is young and has many romantic interests; he only settled down after having children over the years.

But as time went on, Zhu Dafu grew older and his health deteriorated.

He wanted to hand over the family business to the next generation. After much deliberation, he chose his three sons, divided the business into several branches, and assigned them to run their own businesses.

Zhu Dafu had a good plan: whoever succeeds in running the store well will inherit a larger share.

Little did they know that none of the three were any good. Not only were they wary of each other, but they were also afraid that if there were more people, they would get less. They even plotted to frame each other!

By the time Zhu Dafu found out, it was too late; several of his children had almost been imprisoned and given government jobs.

Before the children could even realize their mistake, Zhu Dafu had already fallen ill from anger. His new wife, seeing that he was getting old and his business was failing, ran off with a fitness coach she had just met.

Zhu Dafu was so angry that he fell ill again.

By the time the person regained consciousness from the hospital, the business, while not a complete disaster, was certainly beyond repair.

"Mr. Lu is also a businessman. He should know that doing these small businesses is all about maintaining good relationships with the neighbors. If you ruin your reputation, you can't blame the neighbors for not showing you any favors."

Fewer and fewer neighbors are willing to patronize these shops, which could lead to them becoming unsellable.

Zhu Dafu then decided to sell the shop, keeping some of the remaining money for his retirement and distributing the rest among his children.

After hearing Zhu Dafu's "inside story," Lu Fan thought for a moment and first asked Lü Qiuyi:

"We won't need the finance department for now. You should estimate the size of the cash flow shortfall yourself."

When asked questions that were not her forte, Lü Qiuyi remained calm and composed:

"The approximate figure should be around three or four hundred million. This deficit is too large, and Fumantang's valuation is far from reaching this amount."

In Lü Qiuyi's view, Fumantang's deficit was so large that there was no need to take it over.

They can perform the property division and liquidation themselves first.

Once the loans and borrowings are settled, they will have plenty of time to make the acquisition.

Although doing so would be unfair and somewhat cruel.

But Lü Qiuyi is paid by the emperor and should bear his worries. How could she not consider the interests of her master when she receives a million-dollar annual salary?

Upon hearing that even selling all the shops wouldn't be enough to repay the money embezzled from Fumantang, Zhu Dafu couldn't hold on any longer.

He slumped back in his chair and murmured, "How could this be? Just six months ago, our Fumantang business was doing just fine."

Zhu Dafu's eldest son, who was following behind him, was also ashamed.

After all, none of the children were innocent when it came to the fact that several children had collectively emptied their father's savings.

Zhu Dafu now sees that his eldest son has lost his former enthusiasm, and his original plans to go abroad and buy a bigger house and car have all become nothing but a pipe dream.

He raised his hand, but ultimately didn't strike his son's face. Instead, overcome with grief and indignation, he asked Lu Fan:

"The three floors above the main store are also my property, which can be sold to Mr. Lu or Fanyue Real Estate Company."

Zhu Dafu wondered if selling his entire house could cover the funding gap.

However, Lu Fan smiled and shook his head:

"Mr. Zhu, I understand your anxiety and worry, but the deficit and such things don't actually have any direct impact on me or Fanyue Real Estate."

"Because if we were to make an acquisition, it would be of Fumantang. As for the debts between you, the distributors, and the manufacturer, they belong to you and have nothing to do with me."