Let’s divide the family.

I hid under the covers, listening to Jin Yulian and her brother argue, sensing the tension between them. Who was right or wrong, I couldn’t say, as I was an outsider. But I guessed that Jin Yulian managed the business in a traditional manner, while Jin Baoqiang was driven by a gambler’s mindset. This was nothing unusual; many heirs to wealth aim high, chasing quick and big money, uninterested in the modest profits brought by traditional management.

Indeed, that’s a common flaw among young people: unable to earn big money, they look down on smaller gains.

Jin Yulian, angered, said, “Brother, since you’ve already made up your mind, why come here to discuss it with me?”

Seeing his sister’s furious expression, Jin Baoqiang hesitated, then finally gathered courage and said, “Sis, I don’t agree with your management methods! You oppose everything I do. Why don’t we split the family business?”

I felt Jin Yulian trembling, perhaps from anger at her brother. She bit her lip and said, “Speak! How do you want to divide things?” Clearly, she understood that tonight her brother was confronting her, likely under someone else’s influence.

Jin Baoqiang, seeing his sister’s sorrowful face, stammered, “Sis, you know I’m pursuing Fang Nana now. She’s a college graduate, beautiful, and comes from a good family. She likes me, but complains that I lack initiative, always following your lead. She also says our company’s financial crisis is due to your poor decisions. She insists I split from you, or she’ll break up with me.”

I thought to myself, the siblings were once inseparable, but as Jin Yulian prepared for marriage and Jin Baoqiang found a new girlfriend, cracks inevitably appeared. Especially in the midst of a financial crisis, their differing management styles only intensified the conflict.

A grown woman can no longer be controlled by her mother, and a grown man even less so by his sister. Jin Yulian realized that the rift between herself and her brother was now irreparable.

Jin Baoqiang's new girlfriend, Fang Nana, was someone Jin Yulian knew well—a true gold-digger, but beautiful and eloquent, and her brother was utterly bewitched by her. Any further advice would be useless.

If her brother was influenced by his girlfriend, that was only natural; once he started his own family, his wife would be his closest companion, and even his parents would be outsiders.

Jin Yulian didn’t try to persuade her brother; everyone had the right to choose, and she had no say in his choice of girlfriend. Besides, she herself was in love with a man just released from prison, so she had no right to judge her brother’s relationship.

Jin Yulian spoke calmly, “Brother, go ahead. However you want to divide things, I’ll support you.”

Jin Baoqiang replied, “If you’re willing to marry Qian Duobao, he’ll pay a hundred million to buy my one percent share. Anyway, you’ll be a family, and the company will belong to you. You’re my sister, so it doesn’t matter who gets the short end of the stick.”

Jin Yulian replied lightly, “Brother, I may not marry Qian Duobao.”

Jin Baoqiang said, “If you don’t want to marry him, things get complicated. Where can we find big capital now? The company’s a mess: so many workers need to be paid, bank loans to repay, customer payments to settle. Sis, what do you think we should do?”

It truly was a tough problem. The only hope for Jin Yulian’s business lay in the ten million dollars’ worth of foreign trade inventory. If she could sell it, there was a chance to turn things around; otherwise, the company would face bankruptcy and liquidation, with assets and land auctioned off.

But selling that inventory was extremely difficult; if it were easy, it would have been sold already.

Seeing Jin Yulian silent, Jin Baoqiang continued, “Sis, how about this: I just want ten million dollars. Give me those foreign trade goods, and the rest of the debts and assets are yours.”

Clearly, Jin Baoqiang had no intention of managing the company. He wanted to pocket ten million dollars, walk away, and use it to gamble in stocks and futures, chasing fast and big profits.

Jin Yulian quietly calculated. The company’s most valuable asset was the land, worth about a hundred million, perhaps more if a developer wanted to build. Next were the factory and equipment, worth about ten million. Additionally, there was over twenty million in working capital and thirty million in accounts receivable.

Altogether, the company’s assets totaled about two hundred million. As for debts, there was a one hundred million bank loan, tens of millions owed to customers for materials, and seventy million owed to Qian Duobao, principal and interest. Total debts came to two hundred and twenty million—the company was insolvent.

Of course, the final value of the land was hard to estimate, but it would never exceed ten thousand per unit. Ultimately, land sales went through the government, so the company couldn’t set the price. If a developer was interested, the price would be higher; otherwise, it would be lower.

Jin Yulian said, “Brother, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but selling ten million dollars’ worth of goods for just one million is far too low. The company’s profits for over ten years have all been lost in them.”

Jin Baoqiang, seeing his sister unwilling, said, “Sis, then how do you think we should divide things? Our parents left us a huge company, and I hold sixty percent of the shares. All I want is sixty million—surely that’s not too much? If I can’t get that, I can’t explain it to my girlfriend.”

Jin Yulian thought a moment and said, “Brother, could you give me a little more time? If I don’t resolve the company’s financial crisis within a month, we’ll do as you say. If nothing else, I’ll marry Qian Duobao—he certainly won’t give less than ten million.”

Jin Baoqiang said, “Sis, I’m not trying to pressure you, but I want to invest in futures and stocks, and I need capital right now. You see…”

Jin Yulian said, “How about this: I have an apartment in Mingzhou City worth about eight million, and a villa in Nanshan New Estate worth seven million. Take them first—sell or keep, it’s up to you.”

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Chapter 31: Let’s Split the Family Business—Free to Read.