HPDBC Chapter 147 Negotiating Cooperation
Chapter 147 Negotiating Cooperation
After Lu Yuan's clear, insightful explanation, Thomas's initial tentative and curious gaze was now completely replaced by awe.
He made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes, giving high praise to Lu Yuan's business acumen and design talent.
For Thomas, this was definitely the biggest surprise of his trip to the East.
Lu Yuan naturally participated in the entire subsequent cooperation negotiations.
His personal face-to-face communication with Thomas not only eliminated the information loss and delay that might occur when Mike Zhang relayed the information as an intermediary, but also allowed both parties to provide immediate feedback and precise alignment when their ideas clashed.
The atmosphere at the negotiating table was warm and harmonious. After in-depth and pragmatic discussions, both sides initially finalized a cooperation framework:
Thomas will purchase all eight clothing designs provided by Lu Yuan and fund the production of Lu's garment factory. The finished products will be shipped directly to the European market for sale.
However, surprises are often accompanied by enormous challenges.
Thomas's order quantities were staggering, with each design requiring a minimum order of 500,000 pieces. Combined, the eight designs resulted in a staggering total demand of four million pieces.
Faced with such a huge number, the existing scale and production capacity of Lu's garment factory are like a small horse pulling a large cart. No matter how much overtime they work, they will absolutely not be able to deliver on time within the deadline set by Thomas.
Therefore, the most urgent task facing the Lu family is to rapidly expand production and complete the magnificent transformation from an ordinary small town workshop into a modern "Lu Family Garment Company".
Thomas clearly had high hopes for this collaboration, expressing a strong desire for a long-term partnership with the Lu family.
He suggested to Lu Yuan that he hoped Lu Yuan could continue to provide more design ideas;
In return, the Thomas Group will sponsor a large amount of advanced garment manufacturing equipment and production lines to fully support Lujia's expansion.
Lu Yuan was naturally delighted with this. He not only readily agreed, but also took the opportunity to analyze for Thomas the fashion trends and color trends in the international clothing market for the next two years.
This highly forward-thinking industry insight once again greatly impressed Thomas. His initial appreciation for Lu Yuan's talent and keenness in the field of clothing design has risen to an almost blind trust.
After careful consideration, Lu Yuan knew that taking advantage of the Thomas Group to upgrade the Lu family's garment factory was a brilliant move that would guarantee a profit.
Once the factory achieves its scale and reputation, it will have enough capital to recruit a top-notch design team in the industry.
At that time, the company will be able to operate on a mature system and will no longer need him, the "chief architect," to personally oversee everything.
After all, Lu Yuan had a longer-term plan. He was destined to go to university, and once he entered the ivory tower, he would never have so much time to be tied to the garment factory again.
Although his parents were apprehensive about the huge order, after listening to Lu Yuan's well-organized analysis of the pros and cons, they also felt that this path was entirely feasible.
The family reached a consensus and initially agreed to cooperate with Thomas. They also agreed that Thomas would review the first batch of sample garments after they were made in a few days and then finalize the details of the contract.
Finally, Thomas left with a satisfied smile.
Before getting into the car, he turned around and patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, praising the young man for his promising future and urging him to dedicate himself to the clothing industry, where he would surely achieve great things in the future.
The blonde, blue-eyed girl, Lisa, leaned against the car window and stared at the young man from the East for a long time, memorizing his appearance.
As Thomas's car disappeared at the end of the street, the group, who had been on edge, finally breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling a great weight lifted from their shoulders.
Especially Dad, whose heart had been hanging in his throat, finally settled back into his stomach and resumed a steady beating.
"Ah Yuan, you...you're amazing!"
Mom's eyes welled up with tears of excitement. Unable to contain her joy any longer, she rushed forward and hugged Lu Yuan tightly, jumping around like a child and expressing her happiness incoherently.
Relatives and employees gathered around, offering their congratulations and showering Lu Yuan with praise.
However, unlike the others, Dad didn't rush forward from the periphery of the crowd.
He couldn't bring himself to do it, after all, just two days ago, he had given Lu Yuan a severe dressing-down in front of his whole family, accusing him of acting impulsively.
Now that the facts are clear, he, as a father, is really losing face.
Despite his inner turmoil, Dad tried to keep a straight face, cleared his throat calmly, and said to Lu Yuan, "Yuan, come with me."
Confused, the crowd quickly made way for them.
Lu Yuan smiled knowingly, nodded, and followed his father into the office.
The moment the door closed, Dad's forced composure crumbled.
He grabbed Lu Yuan's arm, his eyes filled with incredulous excitement, his voice trembling slightly: "Yuan, tell me the truth, those blueprints... did you really draw them all yourself?"
Looking at his father's expression, which was both wanting to believe and finding it unbelievable, Lu Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
He knew his father too well; he knew that this traditional, traditional man simply didn't want to appear too affected in public.
Ultimately, he was a man with a thin skin and a very strong sense of self-respect.
If it were the young, impetuous, and rebellious Lu Yuan from his previous life, he probably wouldn't be able to understand his father's awkward paternal love at all.
But now, Lu Yuan's mental age is almost the same as his father's, and he has even experienced the trials of a longer period of time.
He could completely empathize with his father's helplessness, heartache, and deep pride at that moment.
"Yes," Lu Yuan smiled gently and explained in a steady tone, "I spent some time learning about it before, and then I looked up a lot of information before I slowly figured out how to design it."
"How long did you study?"
The father immediately pressed for answers, his mind filled with questions. He had no idea when Lu Yuan had secretly learned about fashion design.
"At most, it'll take about half a month," Lu Yuan replied without changing his expression.
In fact, Lu Yuan has been involved in this industry for a full ten years.
This remarkable achievement is entirely supported by an experience and aesthetic sense that transcends this era.
Fortunately, Thomas is a discerning and fashion-savvy businessman. If it were a nouveau riche who didn't know his stuff, even if Lu Yuan brought over the most cutting-edge designs of the next decade, they would probably just be treated as waste paper.
"Half a month!"
Dad gasped, completely stunned.
He stared at Lu Yuan incredulously, as if he were looking at an alien.
In just half a month, let alone designing a piece that amazes Europe, they probably haven't even mastered the basics of tailoring.
Lu Yuan didn't want his father to keep digging into the matter.
No matter how many questions he was asked, he could only continue to cover it up with lies.
But piling up more and more lies has no real meaning;
Moreover, admitting that one is a reborn person does not help one's current life at all.
So, Lu Yuan took the initiative to reach out and place his hands firmly on his father's broad shoulders, gently turning him around.
The two walked side by side to the design drawings hanging on the wall, just like the closest of old friends.
Lu Yuan pointed to the blueprints and began to describe his grand vision for the future to his father.
According to Lu Yuan's plan, Thomas, as a high-quality overseas channel, must be firmly grasped.
They wanted to cooperate with the other party from a purely business perspective:
On the one hand, leveraging the strong financial and equipment resources of the Thomas Group, the Lujia Garment Factory was rapidly expanded.
On the other hand, they made a fortune from this huge order of four million pieces.
It's important to know that Thomas's single order could generate tens or even hundreds of millions in profit.
As Lu Yuan delivered his clear and insightful analysis, the confusion in Dad's eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep agreement.
He nodded repeatedly in deep agreement, as if the son before him was no longer the child who needed his protection, but a business partner with whom he could fight side by side.
The unpleasantness between father and son caused by misunderstanding vanished in the midst of their heartfelt conversation, as if it had never existed.
My father, who had felt deeply ashamed because of his previous scolding, finally felt completely relieved.
Having finally settled this crucial matter concerning his father, a huge weight was lifted from Lu Yuan's shoulders.
Ye Yixian, who witnessed all of this, was already astonished.
She stood quietly in place, her gaze fixed on Lu Yuan's tall and straight back.
She thought she knew Lu Yuan well enough, but she never expected that the extraordinary strength he displayed today was just the tip of the iceberg.
At that moment, she felt incredibly fortunate.
I'm so glad I made the unwavering choice of such an outstanding and responsible guy as my boyfriend.
But at the same time, a deep sense of shame welled up in my heart.
Her boyfriend is so brilliant and talented, while she is so ordinary, even mediocre.
Ye Yixian bit her lip lightly and secretly vowed in her heart: she must work harder, strive to improve herself, and become more outstanding.
She absolutely could not allow herself to become a stumbling block in Lu Yuan's path forward, and she absolutely could not hold him back.