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Chapter 594 Kneeling! (Please subscribe and vote!!)

Hedong in thirty years and Hexi in thirty years.

Liu Mingde, a pioneer of reform in southern Hunan, was a Hong Kong businessman who enjoyed great success in Lijin City in recent years. However, in just six months, he has fallen into this predicament where he has no way to advance or retreat. This situation is closely related to the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street on Huangxing South Road, and this project was spearheaded by Xu Kai.

Xu Kai's decision to launch this project has profound implications.

This is related to Song Zijian, who left his post earlier this year, and Yang Jiarong, who moved from Jiangchuan to Malijin.

With his powerful backer gone, Xu Kai urgently needed a tangible achievement to solidify his position. Liu Mingde, a Hong Kong businessman known for his smooth talk and pioneering reforms in southern Hunan, was the perfect candidate to meet the city's investment attraction policies. After initial contact, the two parties quickly reached an agreement and swiftly launched the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street project on Huangxing South Road, one of the top ten key investment projects in Lijin.

At Xu Kai's behest, Liu Mingde's shell company, Zhenhua Company, quickly established Jinzhao Industrial as a joint venture with Lu Yuanzhou's family business, Xiongsen Group. Jinzhao Industrial is the operating entity of the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street project, with each party holding 50% of the shares.

In Zhang Yunqi's view, this equity allocation was like giving birth without an anus. He didn't know why it was done this way, and he didn't believe that Liu Mingde was unaware of the potential risks. He could only say that Liu Mingde was forced by circumstances to do it this way. However, the subsequent events did prove that this equity ratio laid the crucial groundwork for the breakdown of the relationship between the two parties.

After Jinzhao Industrial was established, with the vigorous efforts of Xu Kai and the coordination of Liu Mingde, Jinzhao Industrial obtained the city's approval after 10 days of negotiations and multiple discussions and studies on issues such as land price and demolition for the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street project with the city's land and planning departments. At that time, Song Zijian made the decision directly, and the approval procedures were completed quickly. Within a month, the "Contract for Investment and Construction of Qingwu Pedestrian Commercial Street Project on Huangxing South Road in Lijin City" was signed with the Municipal Finance and Trade Office.

The project thus entered the implementation phase.

Jinzhao Industrial acquired eight plots of land on Huangxing South Road through a land use rights transfer, with a total land area of ​​34,032.07 square meters (51.05 mu)! The total land transfer fee reached a record 260 million yuan! This was 260 million yuan in 1996! The price per mu exceeded 509.1 million yuan/mu, and the price per square meter was about 7641 yuan! Looking at the whole country, this is a top-ranking land transfer price.

Of course, these 50 acres of land would be worth 30 to 50 billion RMB in later years. Keep in mind, this is the most famous street in Hunan Province, on par with Beiwangfujing, where every inch of land is incredibly valuable! This is one of the core reasons why Zhang Yunqi is so enthusiastic about this project. However, objectively speaking, how many people in this world possess such foresight that transcends their time? Without considering future developments in the current commercial real estate market, 260 million RMB is an astronomical price to be paid in this era!

After Jinzhao Industrial and the city government finalized the land transfer fee through the transfer of land use rights, the project entered the development stage. The development of the entire street was carried out in stages, with the eight plots divided into two phases, all located on both sides of Huangxing South Road.

His classmate Liu Ying, whose home was being demolished, lived in plot 5, which was part of the second phase of the project and was currently undergoing demolition. The first phase of the project was completed by the district-owned state-owned company at the end of last year. The four plots, numbered Li Guo Yong (1996) No. 00135 to 00138, were located on both sides of Huangxing South Road and south of Zhiji Street, with a total land area of ​​15,308.94 square meters.

As per Xu Kai's instructions, after completing the first phase of demolition in the district, the construction team must work intensively for 100 days to open the street as soon as possible!
The first phase of the project is now nearing completion, and the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street is about to open. Its enormous commercial value is gradually becoming apparent, which leads to conflict between Liu Mingde and Lu Yuanzhou, ultimately resulting in a complete break.

Zhang Yunqi didn't know much about the real situation, but in his previous life, he had lived in Lijin since 1993, for more than 20 years. One thing he remembered vividly was that after the opening of the first phase of the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street project on Huangxing South Road, this key investment project suddenly went bust. At the time, the news shocked the whole city and triggered a series of problems.

First, there's the issue of suspected massive loss of state-owned assets. Second, there's the issue of tax evasion, which caused a huge uproar back then, being included in the top nine major tax-related illegal cases nationwide, eventually even attracting the attention of the State Administration of Taxation. Third, the development and operation of the second phase of the pedestrian street project has been stalled for a long time, with constant lawsuits and relocation issues causing widespread discontent among those affected by demolition and those who purchased shops, severely impacting Lijin's investment attraction and the development of its tertiary industry.

Years later, after Xu Kai stepped down from his post, news about the grudges and entanglements surrounding the Xiangnan First Street project, which he spearheaded, gradually surfaced on the internet. In short, Xu Kai and Lu Yuanzhou found common ground and joined forces to suppress Liu Mingde, aiming to remove him from the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street project.

Under such circumstances, does Liu Mingde still have a choice?

Qiao Zhiwu's debts were spiraling out of control, compounded by the impending opening of Qingwu Street and the veiled malice of Xu Kai and Lu Yuanzhou. Zhang Yunqi was almost certain that Liu Mingde was now on the brink of death!
The air in the office was stagnant and heavy.

After Zhang Yunqi uttered the words, "I want all the shares of Jinzhao Industrial that you hold," Liu Mingde froze on the spot, the color draining from his face instantly, then surging back up, turning a purplish-red.

After a long while, his obese body swayed, and he slumped back into his chair, his body still trembling violently from extreme anger. He pointed at Zhang Yunqi, but couldn't utter a single word.

Lin Lin, standing to the side, had already turned deathly pale.

She was shocked by the complex situation Liu Mingde was facing. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the hem of her clothes. Perhaps, at this moment, what she regretted most was following this man who had promised her countless wishes.

Zhang Yunqi leaned forward and said, "President Liu, I don't know if you really think you still have room to negotiate. Qiao Zhiwu's debt is 130 million now, how much will it be in a month? How much of the operating rights of Jinzhao Industrial do you still have? As for the Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City project..."

Zhang Yunqi picked up a document prepared by Wang Guibing from the table and threw it in front of Liu Mingde: "Last November, it was mortgaged to the Rural Commercial Bank for a one-year term. How many months are left? The appraisal report is right here. After deducting liabilities, how much net assets are left? You don't need me to calculate it for you, do you?"

Liu Mingde's eyes narrowed in disbelief as he stared at the mortgage document, feeling as if this bastard had thoroughly exposed his past: "You..."

Zhang Yun lit a cigarette and said, "Also, I mentioned earlier that the actual development cost of the first phase of the Qingwu Street project reached 500 million yuan. I suspect most of that was financed through your Tenglong Company's shell company, right? After all, Lu Yuanzhou promised you 10% of the initial project development costs after the street's opening and the return on investment. But what is the collateral for this loan? It's the future revenue rights of your Jinzhao Industrial, which Lu Yuanzhou is constantly draining! Mr. Liu, you're a master at leverage, but unfortunately, you can't outmaneuver Lu Yuanzhou." He paused, looking at the cold sweat rolling down Liu Mingde's forehead, and delivered the final blow: "To put it bluntly, all your businesses in Lijin are now empty shells. The only valuable thing is the 50% of Jinzhao Industrial that legally still belongs to you. If Lu Yuanzhou gets it, you'll be completely kicked out, not only losing everything but also incurring a massive debt; while if Qiao Zhiwu gets it, you'll be squeezed dry of every last drop of profit and then thrown away like trash."

Zhang Yunqi leaned back in his chair and said, "My terms are much better. You will transfer 50% of your shares in Jinzhao Industrial to me free of charge. In exchange, I will handle the 130 million yuan on Qiao Zhiwu's side, and I will deal with Lu Yuanzhou's side. I will guarantee your safe departure from Lijin."

Zhang Yunqi stared at Liu Mingde, whose face was ashen, and glanced at the time: "After analyzing the pros and cons so much, I think President Liu should be very clear about it. I'll give you ten more minutes to consider. It's up to you to decide whether you agree or disagree."

Wang Guibing immediately took out a pre-prepared equity transfer agreement for Jinzhao Industrial Company from his briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Liu Mingde, along with a pen: "Sign it, Mr. Liu, this is your best option right now."

Liu Mingde stared at the cover of the agreement, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy and disordered.

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Time ticked by, and for Liu Mingde, every second felt like a slow, agonizing torture. His past glory, scheming, and greed in Lijin had now become heavy shackles, dragging him into the abyss.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Mingde let out a sound like a sob. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he stared at Zhang Yunqi and said in a hoarse voice, "There's another question that I've been afraid to ask. You introduced Qiao Zhiwu to me, so did you already know he would do this?"

Zhang Yunqi lit a cigarette: "There's no need to deceive yourself, Mr. Liu. I said before, you and I both know exactly what kind of person Qiao Zhiwu is. You're just gambling. Gambling that his greed has a bottom line, gambling that you can fill the financial hole after the Qingwu Commercial Street opens smoothly! The current business environment in Lijin is indeed suitable for you to gamble on this, after all, it's a highly profitable deal. But as I said before, unfortunately, your real opponent this time is Lu Yuanzhou, that top student who graduated from Kellogg School of Management in the United States. He plays with capital and law, and compared to Qiao Zhiwu, he knows better how to make you disappear without a trace."

Liu Mingde's voice trembled: "So that means you foresaw this situation all along! From the moment we first met, from the day you kindly recommended Qiao Zhiwu to me, from the moment you knew my business partner was that bastard Lu Yuanzhou, you set up this elaborate trap, waiting for me to walk into it like a fool! Then, when the snipe and the clam fight, you, Zhang Yunqi, reap the benefits!"

Zhang Yunqi looked at his face, which was distorted by anger, and for some reason, it was like looking at a fish jumping futilely on a chopping board.

He said, "Mr. Liu, are you feeling wronged? Let me tell you plainly today, I know far more about your situation than you think. Don't put on this innocent act in front of me, you scum. It's an eyesore and an insult to the word 'Hong Kong businessman'!"

He grabbed a folder from the table and slammed it down in front of Liu Mingde: "This is the information on the Jiangxinzhou Entertainment City project. It's a classic case of you, you bastard, trying to get something for nothing in Lijin!"

"First, you, posing as a Hong Kong businessman, took advantage of Lijin's investment promotion policy and used a watered-down project plan and forged asset certificates of the Hong Kong parent company to fraudulently obtain the first start-up loan of 30 million from the Construction Bank! Then, in collusion with Chu Zixiong, the brother-in-law of Secretary Song, you pushed for the local government to introduce policies to expropriate land that originally belonged to the village collective as farmland and homesteads at a low price under the guise of environmental ecological restoration and protection of Jiangxinzhou area. Without the knowledge of the village collective, you privately changed it directly into state-owned construction land and commercial and residential land, while forcing all 56 original residents of Jiangxinzhou to relocate, causing a large loss of collective assets! When the project was being relocated, you instructed people to break down the doors and houses of residents who refused to move, and three families drank pesticide."

Zhang Yunqi pointed to the cover of the document: "These are things that I had someone do a simple check and found out. If you think I'm slandering you, Mr. Liu, you can open this document and take a look. The contents will make you feel even less like a human being."

"You...!" Liu Mingde's face turned from dark blue to liver-colored. At that moment, the suppressed anger in his chest completely overwhelmed his reason. He grabbed a pen and slammed it on the mahogany table with a "smack," gritting his teeth: "Fine! Zhang Yunqi, you're ruthless! I can't outmaneuver you, but don't worry, even if I die, I will never give you the shares!"

Zhang Yunqi nodded: "See the guest out."

Wang Guibing stepped forward and gestured for Liu Mingde and the pale-faced Lin Lin to "please": "Take care, Mr. Liu."

Provoked, Liu Mingde jumped to his feet, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Zhang Yunqi. He strode toward the door, but just as his hand was about to touch the doorknob, Zhang Yunqi's voice drifted over: "President Liu, I'm taking all the shares of Jinzhao Industry. Not just yours, but Lu Yuanzhou's 50% as well! Remember one thing: if you walk out this door now, you'll crawl back in next time."

Liu Mingde's back froze; he didn't turn around.

The door closed gently.

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