Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 637 - 278: Catching Them All in One Sweep

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere naturally grew lively.

Gao Diaomao, flattering Han Lie, made small talk about various things before slowly steering the conversation toward the intended topic.

"Teacher Han, I have a question I'd like you to clarify," he said.

"Go ahead," Han Lie replied casually, his attitude seeming somewhat indifferent, exuding an air of dismissiveness.

In reality, though, that crafty bastard had already heightened his attention to the maximum, secretly waiting for his prey to show its head before loosing an arrow.

"Here's the thing."

Gao Diaomao lowered his voice, choosing his words carefully.

"For projects like ABS, if we can't find a single investor, is it possible to package it as some kind of product and sell it in small shares to the general public…?"

"Of course, you can," Han Lie deliberately furrowed his brow. "It's a very basic model, but the costs will be higher."

Gao Diaomao was instantly energized. "Specifically, where do these higher costs lie?"

Han Lie explained in detail, "Each ABS project is a separate product. It's not like my private equity fund, which has a track record for reference and can easily gain investors' trust. In my judgment, it won't sell better than a bank's financial products, so you'll need a very strong sales team. Generally speaking, you should offer the sales team about a 2% commission to ensure that the majority of shares are sold on schedule. Furthermore, the initiator will likely need to structure the project to guarantee sales. The structuring itself involves significant costs…"

Gao Diaomao was completely lost.

Yet, the less he understood, the more convinced he became of Han Lie's professionalism, agility, and capability.

"Teacher Han, could you please explain what you mean by 'structure the project'?"

Heh, you walked right into it, didn't you?

Han Lie smirked internally but maintained an air of patience as he explained succinctly, "You organize the product into a two-tiered structure. One part is 'senior,' offered to external investors; the other is 'subordinate,' which requires capital to back it."

Gao Diaomao still didn't understand. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Different fields are indeed worlds apart. No matter how cunning and crafty he was, in finance, he was clearly out of his depth.

Seeing Han Lie's reluctance to elaborate, Gao Diaomao grew uneasy.

How can I pitch my idea to Teacher Han if I don't even grasp the basic concepts?

At that crucial moment, Gu Tian chirped in cheerfully, "Uncle Gao, you can think of it this way—the 'senior' portion guarantees a fixed interest rate with strong security, while the 'subordinate' portion has a variable interest rate but carries higher risk. In practice, if a loss occurs, it's first absorbed by the subordinate funds, and then the senior portion is paid its due principal and interest in full."

Oh? Quite the supporting act!

Han Lie gave Gu Tian a direct glance. There was no hint of flirtation, but it was enough for Gu Tian to seize the opening.

"Teacher Han, although I majored in management, I've also studied standard operations in the international market. Am I correct?"

"Yes, quite correct," Han Lie nodded nonchalantly, offering no further response.

Bai Yuxue was unfamiliar with Gu Tian's personality. She suddenly perceived Han Lie as exceptionally picky and aloof, unwilling to even engage with such a beautiful and wealthy woman.

Does this mean... my sisters actually hold a significant place in his heart?

She silently awarded Han Lie another point in her estimation.

Gao Diaomao finally understood Han Lie's approach, but it wasn't what he wanted.

What he truly needed was a plan to get money from retail investors, use it to develop his company's plot of land, and then somehow find a way to default on the repayment. He'd have to default on at least a portion of it. Otherwise, after forking out an additional 20% or so in interest, how much profit would remain?

It could be said that those accustomed to crooked paths find it genuinely difficult to derive satisfaction from legitimate means.

Or, to put it more bluntly: a dog will always return to its shit.

Thus, even though Gao Diaomao had gotten an early start and seized initial opportunities, he hadn't managed to grow and strengthen his business with the times, despite many years in the industry. There were profound reasons for this. His vision wasn't grand, his business acumen was lacking, and what talent he had was poured into sycophancy and underhanded schemes—hardly befitting the title of 'entrepreneur.'

He was merely a ruthless, opportunistic scoundrel who had struck it rich.

When Han Lie didn't take the bait, Gao Diaomao was at a loss. He had to signal his son, Gao Shen, to try and re-engage Han Lie on the topic.

Unfortunately, Gao Shen misunderstood, thinking his father wanted him to toast Han Lie again to curry favor.

The young man, still green, felt terribly conflicted. Teacher Han barely even looks at me; he's so aloof. How could I possibly have that kind of pull?

Ah well, gotta risk the 'wife' to catch the wolf, I suppose…

He gritted his teeth and quietly pleaded with Bai Yuqiu, "Xiaoqiu, please help me out. You and Xiaoxue go have a few drinks with Teacher Han…"

Instantly, Bai Yuqiu's willow-like eyebrows arched sharply. "What kind of person do you take me for?"

Gao Shen was both frustrated by her reaction and somewhat relieved by her principles. He quickly tried to placate her, "That's not what I meant! Where did your mind go? We're in public; what's wrong with having a couple of drinks? Darling, don't be so sensitive!"

Bai Yuqiu shot him a sidelong glance, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips. "When it comes to Teacher Han, I just *am* that sensitive. What are you going to do about it?"

Gao Shen didn't catch her underlying meaning and continued to mumble, trying to persuade her. Finally, Bai Yuqiu, feigning impatience, cut him off. "My parents' house is old and small…"

"Buy it, buy it, buy it!" Gao Shen exclaimed, overjoyed. If money can solve it, it's not a problem! I've got plenty of cash!

Only then did Bai Yuqiu relent, suppressing a laugh as she prepared to 'get to work.'