Chapter 302 — The Problem of Seed Capital

And Wei Zhao actually had a formula with similar effects? But then he thought of Wei Zhao's painkiller formula, and Guan Xuemin did not doubt for a moment that Wei Zhao was merely boasting.

If he said he had it, then he had it. If he said it worked, then it worked. Of this, Guan Xuemin was utterly convinced.

"If it truly exists, then with the painkiller formula we already have in hand, we could push these two flagship products onto the market and stand on equal footing with Kang the Divine Physician." Guan Xuemin nodded. He had little interest in business matters, but his interest in Wei Zhao's formulas was boundless.

"Grandpa Guan, I'll contribute the formula as my share, and borrow your reputation. We'll jointly establish a pharmaceutical company. Are you interested?" Wei Zhao laid out his intentions.

Through their several encounters, Wei Zhao had come to understand Guan Xuemin fairly well. The old man held fame and fortune lightly, almost without desire, yet he prized medicinal formulas greatly — not out of greed to claim them for himself, but from a wish to study their pharmacological properties.

"My reputation — you're welcome to make use of it..." Guan Xuemin waved a hand. "I lack neither food nor clothing. What use is more money to me? But do you know how much capital it takes to found a pharmaceutical company? Especially with a formula like this, we must keep production in our own hands — we can't farm it out to other factories. We'd need to install a full production line. Without a hundred million in seed capital, I'm afraid it simply can't be done!"

"A hundred million?" Wei Zhao had no experience in business and was slightly taken aback. "That is rather a lot. Grandpa Guan, do you have the money? I could take a smaller share of the equity."

A hundred million was nothing to the Wei Zhao of old. Though the old man had lied and told him each mission paid only a few hundred yuan, Wei Zhao knew perfectly well that many of his missions had paid in the tens of millions. He simply could not be bothered to quibble with his stingy old master — the man who had raised him. There was no need to settle accounts so precisely with him.

But now, Wei Zhao was genuinely short of money, and only then did he realize that without it, nothing could be done.

"Heh heh... My money, beyond what covers ordinary daily expenses, has mostly been donated to medical causes — my consultation fees and all." Guan Xuemin smiled. "You know as well as I do, at my level, there's little to spend money on. The school covers virtually all my daily expenses."

Now Wei Zhao found himself in a bind. It seemed he had been a bit too naive, thinking that having a formula meant making money — he had never considered the matter of seed capital.

If it came to attracting investment, Wei Zhao could manage it. He could speak to Gu Pengzhan about the prospects of this industry, and he was sure the man would be interested. But Gu Pengzhan's own company was still mired in internal problems, and Wei Zhao was not willing to hand over the formula to a company he had so little confidence in.

It was not that Wei Zhao distrusted Gu Pengzhan. The crux was that whether the company would even belong to Gu Pengzhan in the future was still uncertain. And even if it did, judging by those bastard shareholders within the company — the sort capable of orchestrating an assassination attempt on Gu Mengyao — who knew whether they would covet the formula and seize it for themselves the moment they laid eyes on it.

"My eldest son does have that kind of money on hand, but I won't use his money." Seeing Wei Zhao silent, Guan Xuemin continued. "He's a bit greedy for wealth. This matter — he cannot be involved!"

"Oh?" Wei Zhao was startled. He had not expected Guan Xuemin to say such a thing. Most people, when something good came along, thought first of their own children — yet Guan Xuemin had flatly ruled out any possibility of involving his eldest son.

"Heh heh, he already has more than enough money to spend. I don't want to bring harm upon him." Guan Xuemin smiled. "My younger son — Xinxin's father — does business in Linzhou and has some money on hand, but his company isn't very large either. The whole enterprise combined is probably worth only two or three hundred million, with nowhere near that much liquid capital. So I don't want either of them involved in this matter. I'm still hale and hearty now, so it's no concern, but in the future... heh heh..."

Guan Xuemin did not continue, but he was sure Wei Zhao would understand his meaning. Indeed, Wei Zhao understood. He was deeply shaken. Though he had already determined that Guan Xuemin was an upright old man who cared nothing for fame or profit, he had not expected such clarity of vision — that at the very moment Wei Zhao had merely floated the idea of a partnership, the old man had already excluded both family members from it.

"Grandpa Guan... giving them some non-voting shares would be no problem," Wei Zhao said, somewhat embarrassed.

"No need." Guan Xuemin shook his head. "Never mind them — I don't even want any shares myself!"

"Ah?" Wei Zhao was taken aback. "How can that be? Then how am I supposed to borrow your reputation?"

"You rascal... let me finish!" Cut off by Wei Zhao, Guan Xuemin was caught between laughter and tears. "I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"Uh... all right, Grandpa Guan, go on." Wei Zhao had grown familiar with Guan Xuemin by now, and the initial restraint was gone.

In truth, the two had already become friends despite the gap in their years when they discussed medical questions last time.

"Xinxin is my most beloved granddaughter. If possible, just allocate a small portion of the shares under her name." Guan Xuemin said. "Not much — enough for her to live on in the future."

"That's no problem at all." Wei Zhao agreed without a moment's thought.

"Don't be so quick to agree. The seed capital — you'll still have to figure that out yourself!" Guan Xuemin waved a hand and said gravely, "Though my face carries weight among all the great families and could bring in considerable investment, this pharmaceutical company — you had best not let outsiders take a stake in it!"

"The profits from the Kang family's wound medicine have long made people envious, but there's nothing to be done — no one can penetrate it. They operate on a purely family-run model, with no outsiders involved." Guan Xuemin continued. "So long as Old Master Kang lives, there will be no problems. But your company — if you let others in, I cannot guarantee that my face will still carry weight in the face of profit."

"I understand, Grandpa Guan. I'll figure out the funding myself." Wei Zhao nodded.

Guan Xuemin said nothing more. Though a hundred million in seed capital might seem like a fairy tale to an ordinary person, Guan Xuemin knew that Wei Zhao was no ordinary person.

A teammate of Yang Huaijun, a man possessed of such miraculous medical skill — how could he possibly be ordinary?

"By the way, I have a patient's case I'd like to discuss with you. Help me think it over — see if there's a good treatment plan." As he spoke, Guan Xuemin began pulling out a stack of medical records he had already prepared on the table.

For the fastest updates, ad-free reading, please visit.