Chapter 58

Zhu Guoxu's conversation seemed to focus on his own experiences from his youth, rambling on without any particular point.

However, Lei Huanxi listened very attentively.

He could sense that Zhu Guoxu was subtly telling him that once he set his mind on a goal, he should never give up and not care about others' opinions.

"Have you heard that you've leased ten acres of fish ponds?" Zhu Guoxu suddenly changed the subject. "Leasing fish ponds is good; it's self-reliance. Nowadays, not many people your age are willing to stay in the countryside. But..."

He paused for a moment. "I've recently been working with Singapore on a water treatment project, the most advanced in the world. I've thought it over carefully, and I believe there should be a place for you..."

Zhu Guoxu was actually here to recruit him into his group? This was something Lei Huanxi had never expected.

"Mr. Zhu, what do you see in me?" Lei Huanxi asked in return.

"Honest, hardworking, simple..." At this point, Zhu Guoxu laughed. "Forget it, let's not talk about these useless things, as if I know you well. Actually, Annie recommended you to me."

Just as he had guessed.

Lei Huanxi started to like Zhu Guoxu. At least, he didn't hide anything from him. "Mr. Zhu, if you had said this earlier, I would have definitely come. When I was in college, I dreamed of staying in Yundong, finding a big company, earning money to buy a house, and finding a beautiful wife... But now I'm back in Xiantao Village, leasing fish ponds, and I just want to do a good job. I want to get rich, make a lot of money, and then return to Yundong in style..."

Zhu Guoxu nodded frequently. "That's a good idea. Let me be honest with you, I can easily arrange a position for you in Juncheng Group, but can you adapt? Can you find your own career? It's hard to say. Going in with high hopes and leaving in disappointment won't do you any good. Train yourself in Xiantao Village, do a good job with the fish ponds, and gradually realize your ideas. If you have any difficulties, let me know..."

"Mr. Zhu, I do have something I need your help with." Lei Huanxi took two stones out of his pocket. "Take a look at these."

One stone had a pattern that looked like a lotus flower, with water flowing around it. The other stone had a pattern that, upon closer inspection, seemed to be two birds singing.

"This is quite interesting." Zhu Guoxu played with the stones. "Did you draw these?"

"Natural."

"What, natural?" Zhu Guoxu perked up, leaning in to examine them closely. After a long while, he looked up. "Where did you get these stones?"

"From Fairy Mountain in our village." Lei Huanxi adjusted his posture. "Mr. Zhu, there are many such stones in Fairy Mountain, but they lack recognition and a market, so they are wasted..."

Zhu Guoxu understood his meaning. "You're planning to do something with these stones?"

Lei Huanxi nodded.

"That's a good idea, a very interesting idea." Zhu Guoxu pondered for a moment. "Huanxi, I think we have our first opportunity to collaborate. You provide the stones, and I'll handle the packaging and operations. Let's turn these stones into a Yang Guifei."

Turn the stones into a Yang Guifei?

Zhu Guoxu smiled. "If Yang Guifei had been born in an ordinary family, she would have remained unknown no matter how beautiful she was. But it was her legendary story that made her one of the Four Beauties and left her name in history. Your stones are like Yang Guifei..."

It seemed that Zhu Guoxu had already formed a plan in a short time.

"This small amount of money, I know you don't care about, but you're helping me..."

Lei Huanxi hadn't finished speaking when Zhu Guoxu interrupted him. "Huanxi, your view is wrong. First, this isn't a small amount of money; it's the beginning of an industry... Last time you asked me to invest in Xiantao Village, and I didn't agree. Apart from the feng shui theory, the main reason was that I didn't see a selling point. The legend of Xiantao or Fairy Mountain? Such legends are common all over the country, nothing new..."

He picked up the two stones. "Now we have a selling point. We need to package the stones and do everything possible to increase their recognition, making them popular and even loved by the majority. We need to turn ordinary stones into something with unlimited potential, sparking a craze for stone hunting..."

Lei Huanxi's eyes lit up.

Once such a craze starts, a large number of tourists will flood into Xiantao Village. Food, accommodation, souvenirs... This is the beginning of an industry that Zhu Guoxu mentioned!

He had brought these two stones just to see if there was a market, but Zhu Guoxu had opened another window for him.

Outside the window, the sky was boundless...

Coming to see Zhu Guoxu today was the right decision.

Zhu Guoxu then continued, "Second, I don't help people proactively. I'm helping you because you saved my son's life and because of Annie. If you have difficulties, I'll give you some money. But there's no possibility of a business collaboration... Now you've provided an opportunity, one that I find very interesting. You make money, and I make money. There's no personal favor or Annie's influence. It's a simple business collaboration."

Lei Huanxi breathed a sigh of relief.

A real Zhu Guoxu, never hiding his thoughts. Before coming, he never imagined he would collaborate with the famous Juncheng Group.

And now this opportunity was right in front of him.

"This can't be rushed. We need to mobilize all available resources for packaging, and we need to find a very good opportunity," Zhu Guoxu seemed to be thinking about the future. "This opportunity must not appear to be deliberately packaged; it must be naturally accepted by the public... Huanxi, leave these two stones here..."

Lei Huanxi had intended to give them to Zhu Guoxu anyway.

"Annie has a good impression of you. I've never seen her praise someone so much in front of me." Zhu Guoxu suddenly changed the subject. "At first, I didn't think much of it, but now I see that you are quite interesting. I needed ginseng to save a life, and so many people couldn't find it, but you did... Fighting crabs, no one could beat Jiang Bin, but you did... For the fish competition, despite Jiang Bin's blockade, you still found a dragon fish..."

He seemed to be sitting at home, but he knew everything.

"Even that swimming, at 22 years old, without any systematic training, you managed to beat an Asian champion. Interesting, very interesting." Zhu Guoxu smiled. "Today you brought me these stones. They are everywhere in Fairy Mountain, right? Others didn't see the business opportunity, but you did."

"Mr. Zhu, our village has tried to develop the market before, but it didn't succeed..."

"That's what I find interesting about you," Zhu Guoxu said without hesitation. "Everyone fails, but you? The key is that you found the right person at the right time and place, and did the right thing. All three are essential. Think about it, if you had brought these stones to my office, would I be as interested as I am now?"

The right time, the right place, and the right person, doing the right thing.

This sentence opened Lei Huanxi's mind.

Yes, Zhu Guoxu was right. If he had brought the stones to his office while he was busy with business, Zhu Guoxu probably wouldn't have given them a second glance.

If the person sitting across from him was Village Chief Xu, he would have dismissed Lei Huanxi's idea and told him that the village had already tried and it wasn't worth wasting time on a few broken stones. Young people should focus on practical things.

If it weren't for Annie's recommendation, Zhu Guoxu wouldn't have met him, and he wouldn't have had the chance to show the stones.

The right time, the right place, and the right person, he had done it all today, which is why he had the opportunity to develop an industry.

Zhu Guoxu wasn't just collaborating with him; he was also teaching him some business secrets.

He stood up and respectfully said to Zhu Guoxu, "Mr. Zhu, thank you."

"Thank me for what?" Zhu Guoxu smiled.

"You know what for, no need to say more."

"Sit down, sit down." Zhu Guoxu sighed. "Now I like you a bit too. If you don't come to Juncheng Group, it might be my loss in the future. No, I need to win you over in advance... I heard Annie became your personal assistant, you can't back out of that."

Lei Huanxi blushed. "Mr. Zhu, we were just playing around."

"Just playing around?" Zhu Guoxu glared. "You signed a contract, and now you say it was just playing around? What is the spirit of a contract? My daughter gives me a headache, but she respects you a lot. Help me keep an eye on her. If you succeed in the future, Annie will have found a proper job, and I won't lose anything."

This shrewd businessman had already calculated everything.

If Lei Huanxi succeeded, the contract would naturally become binding. If he failed, Zhu Guoxu wouldn't lose anything, and the contract would remain just a game.

"And that fat guy," Zhu Guoxu changed the subject to Mo Fat. "That guy is not simple. Like his father, he looks foolish and gets bullied everywhere, but those who laugh at him lose money, while he makes money with his foolish smile. His father came from a rural area with nothing and became the owner of several 4S stores. Is he really foolish? Heh, only those who take them for fools are the real fools."

Lei Huanxi laughed, genuinely laughed.

Others might not see through Mo Fat, but Zhu Guoxu had seen through him at a glance.