Fang Zhicheng was speechless at Qi Yu's weird logic and said with a smile: "Why don't you just take it one step at a time? After all, Qi's Group has no better way to complete the investment promotion of the first phase of the project in a short period of time. Let me be frank with you. I have signed a military order with the county party secretary. If Huijin Commercial Plaza cannot be opened on schedule, then I will resign voluntarily."
Qi Yu smiled and said, "You are quite capable. Have you ever thought about leaving the government? Maybe you will have a better future. Let me promise you that if you leave the government, I will give you a job with an annual salary of one million."
Fang Zhicheng waved his hand, knowing that Qi Yu was joking with him, and said, "A million-dollar annual salary? I dare not even think about it."
Qi Yu pursed his lips and said, "It seems that my temptation is not enough... However, I can understand that power is sometimes more attractive than money. The document I just read took a lot of thought, and it can be seen that the Dongtai government is working hard for the opening of Huijin Commercial Plaza. The Qi Group originally had the responsibility to attract shops within the specified time, but because the situation has changed, we have to compromise. According to your wishes, half of the shops will be sublet, but the lease agreement can only be signed for three years. After three years, how about re-adjusting the lease contract?"
Fang Zhicheng thought about it for a moment. In fact, the rental price in the plan was better than nothing, almost equivalent to waiving the rent. The fact that the Qi Group could make such a big concession was enough to show its sincerity. He smiled and said, "Okay, since the Qi Group agrees to the plan, I will immediately arrange for someone to contact several outstanding commercial real estate companies in the province." After speaking, Fang Zhicheng stood up, picked up the phone, called Luo Hui, and told him the news.
Seeing Fang Zhicheng's vigorous and decisive manner, Qi Yu was a little distracted. Fang Zhicheng sat on the sofa again and said with a smile: "Wait a moment, and there will be news in an hour or two..."
Qi Yu sighed and said, "Although the Dongtai government is very enthusiastic, I am still not optimistic about your prospects."
Fang Zhicheng was slightly startled and asked in confusion: "Could it be that the Qi Group can't recruit enough shops?"
Qi Yu shook her head and said with a smile: "Do you remember the bet? We are competing. If you lose, you have to be my servant."
Fang Zhicheng patted his forehead, remembering what he had said to provoke Qi Yu, and said with a smile: "It seems that you are confident and sure that you can move in all the shops before me?"
Qi Yu's beautiful eyes moved, and she smiled and said, "Of course. The group attaches great importance to Huijin Commercial Plaza and believes that this is an opportunity for us to reverse our image, so we have invested a lot of resources. At the same time, I will follow up the whole process and pay attention to the attraction and decoration of shops. However, it is a bit dangerous for you. After all, you don't have the resources to attract investment. Even if you find a strong commercial real estate company, it will be a bit difficult to complete such a series of work in more than two months."
Fang Zhicheng laughed at himself and said, "If I admit defeat now, is it too late?"
Qi Yu shook her head firmly and smiled proudly, "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. Don't worry, I'm not a cruel person. As my servant, you don't have much work to do. At most, you can help me wash clothes and cook."
Seeing Qi Yu so confident, Fang Zhicheng reminded her: "Nothing in the world is 100% certain. Maybe things will change by then. I hope you will accept the loss."
Qi Yu curled her lips and said, "It would be nice if someone doesn't cry when the time comes!"
Qi Yu finished her coffee, glanced at the watch on her wrist, and left. Fang Zhicheng thought to himself that Qi Yu seemed to be very different from the last time they met, but he didn't know why, but there was a sense of familiarity, as if she was a confidante whom he hadn't seen for many years.
He let out a long sigh, collected his thoughts, and then immediately called Luo Hui to find out how the commercial real estate contact was going.
Luo Hui has good execution ability. In less than half an hour, he has achieved phased results. "Hongda Group is very interested in the Huijin Commercial Plaza project. I have invited their investment promotion department to come to Dongtai for a field investigation this afternoon. I would like to host a banquet for them in the evening as a government official. I wonder if you are free to join us."
Hongda Group is indeed the most powerful enterprise in the entire Huainan Province in terms of commercial real estate. Luo Hui was able to directly contact the head of the investment promotion department, which obviously required a lot of connections. They even planned to conduct an on-site investigation in the afternoon, which fully demonstrated that the possibility of cooperation was very high.
Fang Zhicheng smiled and said, "Then please trouble Brother Luo to receive me. I will attend the dinner in the evening, and we can act as lobbyists together."
Around 7:30 in the evening, Fang Zhicheng and Qi Yu entered the private room on the third floor of the County Party Committee Guesthouse. Luo Hui and the people from the Hongda Group's investment promotion department waited for a while. When they saw Fang Zhicheng entering the private room, Luo Hui quickly stood up and introduced him to the people from the Hongda Group: "This is our Dongtai County Government's Mayor Fang, who is in charge of investment promotion and key projects. The other one is Mr. Qi from the Qi Group."
Fang Zhicheng glanced at several people and his eyes fell on one of them. The other person was obviously a little surprised. After meeting his gaze, he quickly lowered his head, drooped his eyelids, and no longer looked at Fang Zhicheng.
Wu Haiyan from Sun Hung Kai Properties was also among them. After a little thought, it was understandable. Wu Haiyan is now also a member of the Hongda Group. When people from the Hongda Group headquarters came to Dongtai for inspection, they invited Wu Haiyan as a contact person, which would facilitate the work of the headquarters staff.
"Mr. Wu, we meet again." Fang Zhicheng stretched out his hand to shake hands with everyone. When shaking hands with Wu Haiyan, he deliberately used a little more force.
Wu Haiyan felt as if she had been electrocuted. She quickly retracted her hand, her face felt like it was on fire, and she didn't dare to look directly at Fang Zhicheng.
Before Wu Haiyan came, she didn't know Fang Zhicheng would come. She had been avoiding Fang Zhicheng, but fate still made her meet Fang Zhicheng.
After not seeing her for a long time, Wu Haiyan has become more beautiful, Fang Zhicheng thought silently.
Chapter 0378 The Clown Doesn’t Know It
The director of the investment promotion department of Hongda Group is named Yue Minghe, a middle-aged man in his thirties with a clean and handsome appearance. But for some reason, Fang Zhicheng always feels a little uncomfortable with him, perhaps because Yue Minghe's attitude towards Wu Haiyan is too enthusiastic.
Yue Minghe sat next to Wu Haiyan and would whisper in Wu Haiyan's ear from time to time. As for the other people at the table, including Luo Hui and Fang Zhicheng, he didn't take them seriously.
Yue Minghe has worked in the investment promotion department of Hongda Group for more than ten years. He often deals with government officials from all over the country and has seen many department-level officials. Naturally, he looks down on deputy-division-level cadres like Luo Hui and Fang Zhicheng. According to his calculations, he should be received by the mayor of Yinzhou City, which meets the standards.
Luo Hui naturally saw what Yue Minghe was thinking. In order to give Fang Zhicheng enough support on the Huijin Commercial Plaza, he put himself in a low position and said with a smile: "Minister Yue, Hongda Group is the business legend of Huainan. Now that it has joined forces with Qi's Group, it will surely create miracles again. I toast you a glass and wish Huijin Commercial Plaza to open as scheduled."
Yue Minghe smiled faintly and said, "County Magistrate Luo, I have known you for many years and I admire you very much. Huijin Commercial Plaza is indeed a very good project, but the times have changed. Although our Hongda Group has the ability to attract investment, we are in a hurry now. It is too difficult for us to not only recruit all the shops but also successfully renovate them within two months."
Luo Hui smiled apologetically and said, "Minister Yue, I know you are very capable, and there must be other ways to solve the problem."
Yue Minghe waved his hand and said with a smile: "County Magistrate Luo, you are making things difficult for me."
Luo Hui was experienced in handling affairs. He put his arm around Yue Minghe's shoulders and said, "Have a few more drinks, and it won't be difficult for you."
Yue Minghe laughed and said, "County Magistrate Luo, I've drunk too much and like to talk nonsense when I'm drunk. You can't take what a drunk says seriously even if he agrees."
Luo Hui continued to flatter him, "Minister Yue's words are golden, and he can drink a lot. He won't get drunk easily. Even if he is drunk, I'm sure he will keep his word."
Yue Minghe was very comfortable with Luo Hui's flattery. He was confused and pointed at Wu Haiyan and said, "County Magistrate Luo, I treat you as a brother, and you have to treat me as a buddy. This is Mr. Wu from our Sun Hung Kai Properties. You must help us more in the future."
Luo Hui was slightly startled, and quickly filled another glass of wine, toasting Wu Haiyan and saying, "Ms. Wu, you have always been an outstanding female entrepreneur in Dongtai. If you need anything in the future, the government will do its best to serve your business."
Wu Haiyan saw Yue Minghe staring at her with a teasing look in his eyes, and she sighed secretly. Yue Minghe had come to Dongtai for an inspection before, and he had hinted at her in various ways when they met last time, and even sent her text messages several times, which was almost discovered by her husband.
Wu Haiyan knew why Yue Minghe said that to Luo Hui today, because he wanted to let her see his power clearly. Wu Haiyan only needed to hold Yue Minghe's thigh, and in the future, she would have Luo Hui, the deputy county magistrate, to protect her in Dongtai.
Although Wu Haiyan was very disgusted with Yue Minghe, she did not show it. After all, he came from the headquarters and his report was heard by the top officials. Sun Hung Kai Properties was just a subsidiary of the Hongda Group. Provoking a powerful figure at the headquarters would obviously be detrimental to Sun Hung Kai's future survival within the group, so Wu Haiyan had to swallow her anger.
In Yue Minghe's eyes, Dongtai is in urgent need of the investment promotion capabilities of Hongda Group's investment promotion department, and also in urgent need of his support, so he behaved so high-profile. Even Qi's Group, a large intercontinental enterprise, is nothing more than that in his eyes. As for Fang Zhicheng, a young deputy county magistrate, Yue Minghe doesn't care at all. In his opinion, Fang Zhicheng is just a foil for today's dinner.
Yue Minghe took the initiative to stand up, toasted Fang Zhicheng, and said with a smile: "County Magistrate Fang, this is the first time I have seen a deputy county magistrate as young as you. You must have a bright future. If you are successful in the future, you will need to take care of me."