Chapter 95

Nanhu Hotel was built by Nanjiang City to adapt to its identity as an international metropolis, constructed entirely to the standards of world-class hotels. However, despite this, most people still preferred to go to the old Dongmen Hotel for various business meetings and government conferences, as it was more familiar to them. No one had expected that shortly after the hotel's completion, a meeting that would influence the entire Nanjiang financial circle would be held here.

Kong Xiaolin was the manager of Nanhu Hotel. She was a very strong and legendary woman, originally a minor official in the municipal government. Later, under the call for reform and opening up, she went into business and made some money. When Nanhu Hotel opened, she resolutely gave up her own business and came to serve as the manager of Nanhu Hotel.

That morning, Kong Xiaolin arrived at Nanhu Hotel. She was dressed in a black, well-fitted business suit, with her hair neatly tied up, exuding an air of authority. The receptionists at the entrance greeted her, and Kong Xiaolin nodded. Noticing that the two receptionists seemed a bit lax, she frowned and said, "Cheer up! Today is the most important day since our hotel opened. Many important people will be here, so don't embarrass our hotel!"

After Kong Xiaolin's words, the two receptionists straightened their backs even more, their qipao perfectly outlining their figures.

At this moment, an Audi car stopped at the hotel entrance. It was Du Peng's car.

Seeing the car, Kong Xiaolin, who was about to enter the hotel, hurried out to greet them. Zhou Ming and Du Peng got out of the car, and Kong Xiaolin greeted them with a smile, "Welcome, Mr. Zhou and Mr. Du."

Zhou Ming nodded at Kong Xiaolin and asked, "Is the meeting room ready?"

Kong Xiaolin replied, "It's all set. Mr. Zhou and Mr. Du can go to the lounge to rest for a while. I'll come and get you when everyone arrives."

Zhou Ming said, "Alright," and let Kong Xiaolin lead the way. After they left, the two receptionists sighed in relief. One of them asked, "Who are those two young men? Why does Manager Kong seem so afraid of them?"

"I don't know, but from the car they're in, it's a high-end one that we don't recognize. They must be important people," the other speculated.

Not long after, several Santana cars arrived. These were cars they recognized. When they saw the people getting out of the cars, their eyes widened, "Look, look, isn't that the branch manager of the Bank of China, Mr. Tian? And the branch manager of the Construction Bank, Mr. Xue, the branch manager of the Agricultural Bank, Mr. Xu, and the branch manager of the Communications Bank, Mr. Wu? This is incredible! No wonder Manager Kong was so nervous earlier. It seems there's an important gathering at our hotel today!"

However, as mere receptionists, they could only see these branch managers enter the hotel. If they had seen these powerful figures, who held vast sums of money, sitting in the hotel's meeting room, they would have been even more astonished.

In the lounge, Du Peng and Zhou Ming were sitting on the sofa. Zhou Ming was casually watching TV and drinking tea, but Du Peng kept checking the time, looking somewhat anxious.

"Zhou Ming, will it be okay with just the two of us today? Uncle Chen isn't coming, and at the very least, we should have his secretary here. Without a government official to back us up, those bank managers, who are all very proud, will be hard to deal with," Du Peng asked Zhou Ming, somewhat worried.

"Actually, without government officials present, these managers will be more likely to express their true thoughts and won't just go through the motions," Zhou Ming said. Seeing that Du Peng was still worried, he added, "Don't worry. Whether it works out today or not doesn't really matter. Mayor Chen has already communicated with the provincial bank, so we're just going through the motions."

Du Peng waved his hand and said, "Whatever, it's all your doing. You're a non-human, not to be judged by normal standards."

Zhou Ming laughed and then the hotel manager, Kong Xiaolin, came in to say that the branch managers had arrived. Zhou Ming and Du Peng stood up and went out. When they reached the meeting room, the branch managers were already seated.

Du Peng sat down in a side seat, while Zhou Ming walked to the podium. Kong Xiaolin personally brought him a microphone. Zhou Ming tapped the microphone and said, "All of you are the financial giants of Nanjiang City, so I am very grateful that you could take the time to attend this meeting. My name is Zhou Ming. Some of you may already know me. I am the specially appointed development advisor to Mayor Chen Yunfei. I also hosted the first land auction in Nanjiang City."

As Zhou Ming spoke, someone in the audience said impatiently, "Mr. Zhou, there's no need to say these things. We are all very busy. Just get to the point."

This made Du Peng's heart skip a beat. Without government officials present, these people were indeed getting bolder. Zhou Ming was at least a specially appointed development advisor to Uncle Chen, and they wouldn't even give him a bit of respect?

However, Zhou Ming found this normal. After all, these people were all influential in Nanjiang. Normally, they would give some face, but today, they were invited to a meeting by Mayor Chen and had to listen to a young man ramble on. Anyone would be annoyed. One of them, with a slightly short temper, naturally expressed their dissatisfaction.

So, Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Is that the branch manager of the Bank of China, Mr. Tian? Please be patient, I will get to the point soon."

"I am introducing myself because I auctioned the first piece of land in Nanjiang and instructed Du Peng to buy land from the government, stockpile it, and then resell it. By saying this, you should understand what I want to discuss today, right?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Are you talking about the current land speculation in Nanjiang? What does that have to do with us?" someone in the audience said.

"Of course it has something to do with you, and it's a big deal," Zhou Ming said. "To my knowledge, there are very few companies in Nanjiang City or even the entire Lingnan Province that can afford to buy land for millions. However, there are dozens of companies involved in land speculation. These companies don't have the money; they are all borrowing from banks."

The branch manager of the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Mr. Sun, said, "Mr. Zhou, I understand your point, but these companies are using land as collateral for loans, and all the procedures are legal. What's the problem?"

"Does Mr. Sun really think there's no problem? If Mr. Sun really thinks there's no problem, then he can leave. I know you all don't want to be here today, and I don't care," Zhou Ming shrugged.

Zhou Ming's words immediately caused a stir in the audience. They slammed their hands on the table and pointed at Zhou Ming, shouting, "You're too arrogant! We call you Mr. Zhou out of respect for the municipal government and Mayor Chen. Don't think you're some kind of leader. What are you, anyway? If we ignore you, you're nothing!"

Zhou Ming listened calmly to their outburst. Although they were loud, they were also aware of the importance of the meeting, so they only shouted but didn't leave.

After they finished, Zhou Ming said, "Whether you believe me or not, I am here for your own good. As to why? You are all from the banking system, and I'm sure you are aware of the recent notices from your provincial banks and Mayor Chen's frequent trips to the province."

Initially, some in the audience were still不服气 (unconvinced), but when they heard Zhou Ming's last words, they fell silent. What Zhou Ming said was exactly what they were worried about and wanted to understand.

Seeing that no one was speaking, Zhou Ming continued, "The provincial bank recently issued a notice requiring all branches to conduct a thorough review of bad and non-performing loans, which will be used to evaluate the performance of bank leaders. Although this notice appears to be a temporary policy within the banking system, it is actually closely related to the current land speculation in Nanjiang City."

At this point, the branch manager of the Construction Bank, Mr. Xue, spoke up, "Mr. Zhou, since you are the development advisor to the municipal government, did you come up with this idea?"

This comment immediately sparked a wave of anger among the others, "So, you young man can't do anything to curb the land speculation or deal with the unscrupulous merchants to lower land prices, but you come to target our banking system? Do you really think we are easy to bully?"

Kong Xiaolin, who was standing nearby, was stunned. Since this was an important meeting for Nanhu Hotel, she was providing full service. She never expected to witness such a scene.

Kong Xiaolin had previously worked in government and attended various meetings, but she had never seen a meeting where the host and the participants could argue like this. Was there no basic meeting discipline? How could the meeting continue with all this noise? Would anything be accomplished?

It seems this young man can't control the situation!

Kong Xiaolin sighed inwardly: Although he is a specially appointed development advisor to Mayor Chen, he is too young and not a government official. How could he make these branch managers, who are in their forties and fifties, respect him? Especially with his harsh words today, it's like he's declaring war! This meeting is going to be a farce. I never thought that the first important meeting at Nanhu Hotel would end like this.

As Kong Xiaolin thought this, she subconsciously glanced at Zhou Ming on the stage. She saw that Zhou Ming remained calm, showing no signs of anxiety. This made her wonder: Could he be doing this on purpose?

At this moment, Kong Xiaolin only felt curious, but she never imagined what she would witness next, something she had never seen in her life.