"Now that Old Zheng is gone, there’s a vacant vice president position in the company. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend, buddy?"
Zhou Wang’s heart skipped a beat.
Because he could tell that Zhang Shihao wasn’t just being polite; he genuinely intended to hand the appointment power for this position to him.
This was a far cry from suggesting the casting of a supporting role for a TV drama. As one of the company’s shareholders, having a vice president as his trusted associate was entirely reasonable. It seemed Zhang Shihao assumed he wouldn’t be in the company long-term, which was why he proactively made this position available.
While Zhou Wang was busy with other matters, this vice president would be his eyes.
The frustrating thing was that, after searching his mind, Zhou Wang couldn’t immediately find a suitable candidate.
This was the vice president of Wuyou Media, a role with significant authority in the industry, not just anyone could fill it...
His networking was still too limited, leading to this stumbling block at a crucial moment.
But soon, Zhou Wang cursed himself for being foolish.
Did he need to go down the normal route?
Those three Basic [Universal Resume] cards in the system warehouse were just for moments like this, weren’t they?
"As for candidates, I should have someone in mind, but I’ll need to think about it. It might take some time..."
"No rush, absolutely no rush. The company’s operational system is already pretty mature, and a vacant vice president position won’t affect us in the short term. Take your time considering, buddy!"
As soon as Zhou Wang spoke, Zhang Shihao understood his meaning and immediately waved his hand with a smile.
"Thanks, big brother!"
Zhou Wang expressed his gratitude with a smile.
"We’re like family, no need for such words!"
Zhang Shihao replied unhappily.
"By the way, big brother, has there been some trouble again on Zhang Dada’s side?"
After chatting for a while and noticing that Zhang Shihao didn’t intend to bring up this issue, Zhou Wang asked.
"Did you see the statement he posted?"
Zhang Shihao wasn’t surprised, he just smiled and said.
"Yeah, I saw it while checking my phone this morning..."
Zhou Wang nodded.
He was somewhat surprised by Zhang Dada acting out again.
After all, they’ll have to interact in this circle in the future. It would’ve been enough to terminate the contract amicably; there was no need for Zhang Dada to become overly hostile with Wuyou Media. But judging from the statement he released, aside from adopting a "victim" tone, Zhang Dada seemed to have a tendency to take it to court.
"Initially, the discussions were going well, but there was some disagreement regarding the equity buyback. So..."
After Zhang Shihao explained, Zhou Wang finally understood the underlying reasons.
Wuyou Media had invested quite a bit to attract these washed-out celebrities. The most important clause was the "equity incentive" in the contract.
In fact, it’s not just celebrities; several high-profile influencers in the company also have equity incentives. This is why previously, "Surplus Sis" dared to openly claim she was the boss of Wuyou during her sales pitches.
Since Wuyou hadn’t gone public yet, according to the contract, if Zhang Dada terminated, the company had to buy back his equity, but the pricing here was highly debatable.
"The equity Zhang Dada holds is 0.8%, and he insists on calculating it based on the company’s 2 billion market value from last year’s financial assessment, meaning we should pay him 16 million in one go..."
"So how did you respond, big brother?"
"I only offered him 500,000."
"?"
Zhou Wang was momentarily stunned.
He knew that for Zhang Shihao to bring Wuyou to where it was, he wasn’t some pushover at heart, but damn, wasn’t this a bit too ruthless?
Even Zhou Wang, who was on his side, felt a bit sorry for Zhang Dada for a moment...
The difference between 16 million and 500,000 was just too vast, no wonder Zhang Dada wanted to fight.
A moment later, Zhou Wang came to his senses, "Big brother, did you base the calculation on registered capital?"
The registered capital of Wuyou Media was 60 million, and 0.8% is precisely 480,000, rounding it to 500,000.
"Yeah... My consideration was, since it’s due to his own moral failings, and his last-minute withdrawal from performing is effectively a breach of contract, we’re entitled to buy back the shares at the lowest price."
Zhang Shihao stated bluntly, "To be even more excessive, if he really pushes it, I might not even give him the 500,000!"
"So now he plans to sue us?" Zhou Wang nodded in understanding.
"That’s the problem. Suing isn’t much of an issue; it’s just a matter of endless quarreling."
Zhang Shihao frowned, "What I worry about are the other impacts this issue could have. In the company’s second-half-year strategy, there are several second-tier or above popular stars set to join. Getting too tangled with Zhang Dada could harm the company’s reputation and might even cause them to hesitate..."
"The other tricky part is... Zhang Dada seems to have gone all out. Do you know who sent us the legal notice?"
"Who?"
Seeing how seriously Zhang Shihao was, Zhou Wang paused.
"Zhu Yunlong, the lawyer. Little brother, you might not have heard of him, but in recent years, he’s earned quite a reputation in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai legal circles, especially in business cases related to economic disputes. He’s practically the top defense lawyer in Hang City; I know some big corporations have suffered under him..."
"Is this Zhu Yunlong from Yunshangyun Law Firm?"
Zhou Wang asked somewhat uncertainly.
"That’s right, so you know him too, little brother!"
Zhang Shihao was not surprised but nodded, "Yunshangyun Law Firm isn’t simple either. In three to five years, it’s spread all over the country. I’ve heard they’re quite... connected..."
As Zhang Shihao mused to himself, he didn’t notice Zhou Wang’s expression becoming increasingly odd.