Chapter 62

(Third update! Xiao Fang Pian seeks support and votes, and all kinds of pampering!)

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

The price of the abandoned land at Dongmen San Yuan was finally set at 8.5 million yuan, with the bid coming from Nanjiang Real Estate Company. When Zhou Ming invited the representative of Nanjiang Real Estate Company to the stage to exchange documents, a flurry of camera flashes lit up the audience, recording this historic moment. Even Mayor Chen Yunfei spontaneously stood up to applaud Zhou Ming and the auction.

After the auction process concluded, Zhou Ming walked down from the stage. Du Peng ran up happily and gave Zhou Ming a bear hug, excitedly saying, "Zhou Ming, you're amazing! I thought getting 4 to 5 million yuan for this land would be great, but you managed to get 8.5 million yuan. How did you do it? Do you have some kind of mind-controlling magic?"

Zhou Ming laughed and said, "Du Peng, have you been watching too much Journey to the West? Even mind-controlling magic?"

Tang Ran, who had walked over, said, "That's just because you have a narrow perspective. Do you think Brother Ming is like you?"

This time, Du Peng didn't argue with Tang Ran. Instead, he scratched his head sheepishly and said, "That's true. Zhou Ming's ambition in making money is something no one can match."

Zhou Ming, Tang Ran, and Du Peng burst into laughter. At this moment, the director of the Land and Resources Bureau, He Yujin, hurried over and said to Zhou Ming and Du Peng, "Boss Zhou, Young Master Du, Mayor Chen has asked you two to come over."

Zhou Ming was initially taken aback, but then he saw Chen Yunfei dealing with the reporters nearby and immediately understood. He led Du Peng over.

When Chen Yunfei saw Zhou Ming and Du Peng approach, he said to the surrounding reporters, "Ladies and gentlemen, these two are the main characters of today's auction. If you have any questions, please ask them."

Hearing Chen Yunfei's words, the reporters, who had been listening to his formal statements for a while, suddenly became enthusiastic and quickly turned their attention to Zhou Ming.

However, since the reporters didn't recognize Du Peng and were impressed by Zhou Ming's performance during the auction, they all surrounded Zhou Ming and bombarded him with questions: "Mr. Zhou, you managed to get 8.5 million yuan for the first land auction in the mainland. What are your thoughts? Mr. Zhou, I heard you are a big boss from Hongcheng. What do you think of the real estate market in the mainland? Mr. Zhou, I heard that the initial starting price for this auction was set at 3 million yuan, but you announced a starting price of 5 million yuan as soon as you got on stage. What were you thinking? Mr. Zhou, is this real estate auction closely related to the government's housing reform, and is it a test for future reforms?"

Faced with the emotionally charged reporters, Zhou Ming calmly gestured for everyone to calm down and said loudly, "Thank you all for your concern and support. However, there are city leaders here, and we have some matters to attend to. We will hold a press conference later to answer all your questions. Please let the leaders leave first."

After Zhou Ming spoke, he glanced at the public security bureau chief, who immediately understood and organized his people to clear the crowd, allowing Chen Yunfei, Zhou Ming, and Du Peng to leave safely.

The reporters, of course, were not willing to let them go, but with Mayor Chen Yunfei of Nanjiang City present, the public security officers dared not be careless. Under their supervision, Zhou Ming and his group quickly left the venue.

As they walked out of the venue, Du Peng immediately said to Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, you were so cool just now. I was so nervous with all those reporters around, but you just ignored them."

"Why bother with them if you can't handle them?" Tang Ran asked curiously.

"Ran Ran, they are reporters! They can get you on newspapers and TV!" Du Peng emphasized.

Tang Ran said, "So what? My Brother Ming has been on the newspapers before."

Du Peng was at a loss for words. For most people, being on newspapers and TV is a great honor, and even Du Peng, a red offspring, was proud of being in the news. But for Zhou Ming, it seemed to be nothing special. He had already been in many newspapers in Hongcheng and, with his abilities, would surely be in more in the future. Why should he care about this time?

Thinking about this, Du Peng felt dejected and said to Zhou Ming, "You are not human! Your way of thinking is completely different from ours."

Zhou Ming chuckled, "You're the one who isn't human! If you want to be on newspapers and TV, it's not hard. We can let you talk to those reporters until the end of time at the next official handover or press conference. But now is not the right time."

After saying this, Zhou Ming gave Chen Yunfei a meaningful look, which left Du Peng stunned.

Du Peng was deeply shaken. He understood what Zhou Ming meant: with Mayor Chen Yunfei here, it wasn't their turn to give interviews. Others might be polite, but if you took it seriously, you'd be a fool.

So, seeing that Chen Yunfei was about to leave, Zhou Ming smoothly dismissed all the reporters and let Chen Yunfei leave the venue first.

What kind of person is this! Du Peng thought. If Zhou Ming's business acumen could be described as genius, then his actions today were beyond description. As a privileged child raised in the red walls, Du Peng knew that such political maturity and sophistication were the result of years of experience. Yet, Zhou Ming, so young, could already do this, even reacting faster than the two bureau chiefs and making the right decision. Such a person, given time to grow, would surely become a legend!

...

After leaving the venue, Chen Yunfei did not immediately leave the hotel but went to a meeting room upstairs.

Chen Yunfei sat down first and then gestured for the others to sit as well. Pointing at Zhou Ming, he said, "You young man, I didn't expect you to be so shrewd despite your young age."

Zhou Ming knew his actions couldn't be hidden from Chen Yunfei and said frankly, "Well, being shrewd is better than making mistakes."

"Twisted logic," Chen Yunfei laughed and scolded, then continued, "Alright, let's not talk about that. I didn't call you here to discuss that. I heard from Du Peng that you originally agreed on a starting price of 3 million yuan, but you announced 5 million yuan as soon as you got on stage. What were you thinking?"

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and said, "Mayor Chen, before I answer your question, can I ask you one first?"

Chen Yunfei waved his hand, "Go ahead."

"I want to ask Mayor Chen, what do you think of Nanjiang City's development? Or, how confident are you in Nanjiang City's future development?"

Zhou Ming's question left everyone in the room stunned. Everyone except Tang Ran knew that Mayor Chen Yunfei was the mastermind behind Nanjiang City's development. Asking such a question in front of him was quite bold.

But Chen Yunfei was not angry. Instead, he found Zhou Ming's question interesting and said, "Nanjiang, as a vanguard of the country's reform and opening up, will inevitably become an international metropolis with the support of the central government and the nation!"

Zhou Ming nodded and said, "I agree with Mayor Chen. If Nanjiang is to become an international metropolis, how much should the land use rights be worth?"

This time, Zhou Ming answered directly, "I just came back from Hongcheng. I know that a piece of land in the Central District of Hongcheng was recently auctioned, with an area about half the size of this land, and the final price was 100 million yuan!"

This number made everyone swallow hard. They thought the price of this land was already outrageous, but the price in Hongcheng was even more shocking, reaching 100 million yuan.

"Of course, Nanjiang is just starting, and we can't compare with Hongcheng yet. The location of the land in Hongcheng was also excellent. However, this also reflects the importance of land to a city," Zhou Ming said. "We shouldn't be overly arrogant or overly humble. For example, I did a rough calculation for this land and found that as long as the developers follow the normal procedures, whether they build residential properties or office buildings, they can make at least 12 million yuan."

The room was in an uproar. Everyone, including Du Peng, stared at Zhou Ming with wide eyes, amazed at how profitable this land could be.

Zhou Ming spread his hands and continued, "So, with such high returns, why shouldn't I set a higher starting price? As long as the developers can do the math, they will accept the high price. That's why I was so confident."

After hearing Zhou Ming's answer, Chen Yunfei fell silent for a moment and then sighed, "I didn't expect that we, who think we understand the reform and opening up and can keep up with the world, are still outdone by a young man like you. Truly remarkable!"

Chen Yunfei laughed self-deprecatingly and then looked up, sincerely saying to Zhou Ming, "Comrade Zhou Ming, I know you are a good comrade in the mainland. I, as the deputy governor of Lingnan and the mayor of Nanjiang, formally invite you to serve as our development advisor. Are you willing?"

As Chen Yunfei spoke, the room was filled with gasps. Everyone looked at Zhou Ming, their shock beyond words.

Although the position of development advisor for Nanjiang City was not an official title, it was precisely because it was not an official title but still closely tied to the government that made it so valuable. It allowed him to participate in government development plans while continuing his business, which was like having a cheat code for any businessman. No one could have imagined that Zhou Ming, so young, would receive such an invitation. If this news were to be made public, many successful businessmen would be ashamed.

But before their shock could subside, Zhou Ming's next words left them even more bewildered.

"I'm sorry, Mayor Chen, but I'm afraid I can't accept your offer for now," Zhou Ming replied.

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