1929 I am a chaebol in the United States

Chapter 304 Purchase of "The Post"

After learning that The Washington Post was going to be auctioned off by the court, Lu Chen immediately began to prepare to meet the newspaper's owner, "Ned".

That day, Lu Chen came to the Post office early in the morning wearing a well-dressed suit. His eyes were full of determination and expectation, as if he was full of confidence in this meeting. After entering the newspaper office, Lu Chen, with the guidance of the staff, successfully met Ned, who looked tired and in a bad mental state.

Ned sat at his desk, frowning as he looked at the strange Chinese man in front of him, his heart full of doubts. He really couldn't remember that he had ever made an appointment with a Chinese man. However, when he carefully observed Lu Chen, he found that his expression was gentle and confident, which made him relax his vigilance a little.

Lu Chen seemed to sense the other party's doubts. He smiled and said in fluent English:

"Hello, Mr. Ned, my name is Lu Chen, and I'm a business owner. I learned from a friend that the 'Post' has been in some trouble recently and is facing the dilemma of being auctioned off by the court. So I came here today, hoping to buy the 'Post' from you."

After hearing Lu Chen's words, Ned was stunned for a moment, and then a look of astonishment appeared on his face. He had never expected that the young Chinese in front of him would be interested in the "Post" in his hands. He had been troubled by the debt problem for some time. Now that Lu Chen was willing to buy the "Post", it undoubtedly gave him a great opportunity to get rid of the debt crisis.

Ned looked at Lu Chen and suddenly frowned. He was not very familiar with this Chinese man named Lu Chen. This made him very frustrated. As a media person, since he was not familiar with him, this person must not be very famous. Since he was not a very famous entrepreneur, he was very worried whether Lu Chen could come up with so much money to buy his "Post". So he decided to get to know Lu Chen first.

"Mr. Lu Chen, I don't know what kind of business you run."

Ned looked at Lu Chen very seriously, hoping that Lu Chen could give him an unexpected surprise.

Hearing Ned's question, Lu Chen replied with a smile:

"Mr. Ned, my company is called Lu's Textile Company."

When Ned heard about Lu's Textile Company, his eyes lit up immediately. This company was famous in the United States for producing stockings. He originally thought that this company was founded by someone in the fashion industry. Unexpectedly, this company was founded by a Chinese.

At this moment, Ned's worries immediately disappeared, and a bright smile appeared on his face. He said to Lu Chen enthusiastically: "So Mr. Lu Chen is the boss of Lu's Textile Company! I have heard of your name for a long time. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After exchanging pleasantries with Lu Chen, Ned asked Lu Chen, "Mr. Lu Chen, why do you want to buy the Post?"

Ned asked this because he wanted to know what Lu Chen was going to do after buying the Post. To him, the Post was not just a newspaper, but also a family legacy and responsibility. So he hoped to find a buyer who truly understood the media industry and could make the newspaper flourish.

After all, the Post was founded by his grandfather, and when it was passed to him, the newspaper had a history of nearly a hundred years. In the past years, the Post has witnessed countless changes and carried the dreams and hopes of many people. Now, Ned is going to pass on this family business to someone else, and naturally hopes that it can continue to shine in the hands of the new owner. As a successful businessman, Lu Chen has strong financial strength, but he is also a completely unfamiliar face. Therefore, he needs more information to judge whether Lu Chen is suitable to be the new owner of the Post.

Lu Chen was obviously stunned when he heard this question, with a trace of embarrassment and confusion on his face. He muttered to himself: Didn't I buy the newspaper just to teach Gnandi a lesson? What other ideas do I have? But this reason is obviously not suitable to tell Nedmin, otherwise the other party may change his mind immediately and not sell it to him.

Lu Chen began to think hard, trying to find a suitable excuse or explanation to answer Ned's question. He realized that he knew very little about the media industry and couldn't explain it at once. After careful consideration, he decided not to dwell on the specific reasons, but to answer from a businessman's perspective. After all, as a capitalist, the purpose of doing any business is to make a profit.

So, Lu Chen calmly said to Ned: "Mr. Ned, you have to know that I am just an ordinary businessman. I bought the 'Post' because it can bring me economic benefits. If I didn't see the opportunity to make money, why would I spend so much money to acquire it?"

This answer seemed to disappoint Ned, and his face turned gloomy. He stared at Lu Chen and asked in a serious tone, "Mr. Lu Chen, why do you think that the 'Post' can bring you profits?"

Lu Chen smiled faintly and said softly, "I have done a detailed investigation on the Post before I came here. As far as I know, the Post is very popular in the Washington area and sells at least 100,000 copies of newspapers every day. Moreover, I also learned that the Post has actually always been profitable. The reason for the financial problems is entirely due to your personal reasons. Therefore, it is certain that the Post can definitely make money."

Lu Chen paused, and then continued: "Of course, there are more reasons for buying the 'Post' than this, but based on this alone, I can ensure that I will not lose money if I buy the 'Post'. What do you think of this explanation?"

After hearing this, Ned couldn't help but feel helpless. Indeed, if he hadn't lost money on his investment and was deeply involved in the "Teapot Hill Oil Field Scandal", he would never have considered selling the "Post". After Ned pondered for a moment, he asked, "Mr. Lu Chen, since you have done a thorough investigation, you must know that my asking price will never be low. So, what price do you plan to pay for the "Post"?"

Hearing Ned's question, Lu Chen immediately started thinking in his mind. As far as he knew, before him, a Jewish tycoon named "Eugene" had offered Ned five million dollars to buy the "Post". But Ned refused. So in Ned's mind, the value of the "Post" must be more than five million.

But Lu Chen would not be a sucker and buy the "Post" for more than five million dollars. He even felt that the price of five million was too high, because the "Post" was facing auction by the court. Once something was auctioned by the court, it would definitely be sold at less than half of its original value, or even more than half. Lu Chen knew that in the future, a court auctioned a property that was originally worth one million, and then it was sold for three hundred thousand. If it were not for the law that it could not be higher than half of the original price, the final transaction price might be even lower. So, Lu Chen thought that it would be enough to buy the "Post" now for a maximum of three million dollars. If it was more, it would be a real loss.

So Lu Chen smiled and said to Ned: "Mr. Ned, I admit that the value of the "Post" is very high, but that was in the past. Now it is facing court execution and auction. Do you think anyone will still pay a high price for the "Post" now? I am sure that those who are interested in the "Post" are now waiting for the day when the court auctions the "Post". You also know that the price of the items auctioned by the court is much lower than the price you get here. In other words, now except for me, no one else will come to you to buy the "Post". "

Lu Chen's words made Ned fall into deep thought, and he had to admit that Lu Chen made sense. Although the "Post" still has a certain value, its value may gradually decrease as time goes by and the market environment changes. Moreover, if the "Post" really enters the court auction process, the final transaction price is likely to be much lower than the price they had expected before. Thinking of this, Ned couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.

Ned was unusually silent. He knew that what Lu Chen said was true. But he was unwilling to sell the "Post" at a low price. He gritted his teeth and said:

"Mr. Lu Chen, you should know that Chairman Eugene once offered five million to buy the Post. If you are willing to offer five million now, I will sell the Post to you."

After listening to this, Lu Chen shook his head at Ned, a trace of regret appeared on his face, and then said to Ned:

"Mr. Ned, you said it yourself. That was the price in the past. Now times have changed. If you don't believe me, you can call Chairman Eugene who made the offer and ask him how much he is willing to pay for the Post. Anyway, I will not pay five million for the Post."

Ned's eyes flashed with reluctance. He clenched his fists tightly, as if he wanted to vent his dissatisfaction, but he finally held it back. He took a deep breath, calmed down, looked at Lu Chen again, and asked helplessly, "Mr. Lu Chen, how much are you going to pay for the 'Post'?"

Lu Chen frowned and thought for a moment. He knew that the price he offered couldn't be too low, otherwise it might cause Ned's disgust, but he didn't want the other party to ask for an exorbitant price. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally quoted a price that he thought Ned could accept.

"Three million, that's my bottom line. If the price exceeds this, I will have to give up buying the 'Post'. After all, I still have other options."

Ned sat in a chair, leaning forward, his hands supporting his chin, frowning, and lost in thought. Three million! This price really made him feel a little entangled. With this money, he could pay off almost half of his debts. If he sold some more properties, his debts would be completely paid off. However, once he did this, the properties he had left would become very few.

In contrast, if I choose to hand over the "Post" to the court for auction, although I can pay off my debts, I may end up with nothing. Now, the price offered by the other party is much higher than expected. If I wait for the court to auction, I may not be able to pay off all my debts, and I may even lose everything.

Ned was full of contradictions and entanglements. He knew that this opportunity was rare, but he was worried about losing more. After a long struggle, he finally raised his head, looked at Lu Chen opposite him and said, "Mr. Lu Chen, let me think about it, and I will give you an answer tomorrow."

Lu Chen smiled and nodded to show his understanding, and responded: "Okay, then I'll wait for you to give me news tomorrow, Mr. Ned." After that, he stood up and shook hands with the other party to say goodbye.

After leaving the office, Lu Chen walked out of the building in a happy mood, secretly looking forward to tomorrow's results. He believed that no matter what decision Ned made, it would be an important turning point.