Back to the teenage years

Chapter 602: Evil people have their own trials and tribulations

Bamboo Fragrance Ancient Alley Project Department.

When Lu Yuanzhou arrived at the temporary two-story prefabricated conference room at 11 a.m., it was already full of people.

Among them is Tang Hui, the group's chief architect for the Yueling Bamboo Fragrance Ancient Alley project. He has a background studying in France and is familiar with European historical district renovation cases.

The cultural advisor is Professor Huang Ziliang, a retired expert from the Provincial Museum of Literature and History. He has studied Hunan culture for most of his life and is a native of Lijin. He is well-versed in the cultural context of Zhuxiang Ancient Alley.

The business planning team was hired from Hong Kong and has experience in the renovation of Matthew's Old Town in Singapore. Combined with the financial calculation team and project team of Xiongsen Group, the lineup is quite strong.

Actually, compared to the key project of Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street on Huangxing South Road, it wasn't difficult for him to get the Zhuxiang Ancient Alley project. However, when it came to the specific implementation plan, Lu Yuanzhou's initial ideas did not meet the needs of all parties.

In 1996, China was in a phase of rapid urbanization, and demolishing the old and building the new was the mainstream thinking, as this was the only way to boost GDP and expand land revenue. Simple cultural preservation projects were unlikely to receive government support at the time and had to be deeply integrated with economic development. Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, Lu Yuanzhou proposed a pilot integrated development project for the Zhuxiang Ancient Alley area that combined old city renovation with historical and cultural preservation.

Secondly, there was internal opposition within the Xiongsen Group to his actions.

At the group's internal strategic meeting, not to mention others, even his own father expressed his opposition to his idea of ​​exploring new paths for the protection of historical and cultural heritage. He even believed that studying abroad had ruined his mind, filling it with unrealistic sentiments and demanded that Lu Yuanzhou promote the project with a fully commercial development plan that maximizes profits.

Lu Yuanzhou offered no explanation.

He chose to sever ties directly with the Xiongsen Group.

He used his personal assets as collateral to obtain 100 million yuan in start-up funds for the project and established a wholly-owned project operation company. Apart from borrowing personnel, the company operated completely independently from the Xiongsen Group system, from team building to plan approval. He also gave the company a very poetic name.

Not with a distant boat.

The Bamboo Fragrance Ancient Alley project is divided into two main areas.

One is the Wangyueling Commercial Core Area, which covers a full 20 acres. It is not much different from the Qingwu Commercial Pedestrian Street on Huangxing South Road. It is mainly planned to build modern shopping centers, star-rated hotels, office buildings, etc., but its commercial value is much lower than that of Huangxing South Road. Lu Yuanzhou, who has always valued profit return rate, does not care about this. His purpose in developing this commercial area is only to give an account to the city and to quickly recover funds to ensure the smooth progress of another large area.

The other is the Zhuxiang Ancient Alley Historical and Cultural Protection Area.

This district is planned with many functional areas. Combining the exploration of Shanghai Shikumen protection and the experience of Singapore's old street renovation, Tang Hui proposed to create a bamboo fragrance culture theme park. With the three main streets of Bamboo Fragrance Ancient Lane as the longitudinal line, three major areas are planned: a cultural and commercial area with intangible cultural heritage workshops and specialty shops as the core, a cultural exhibition area with museums and art galleries as the core, and a cultural and entertainment area with an immersive theme park as the core.

The three sections interlock to form a complete experience flow, but the commercial value is lower, and it is almost impossible to recoup the investment.

The conference room was filled with smoke.

Lu Yuanzhou doesn't smoke, but he didn't say anything.

After exchanging greetings, Tang Hui pointed to the planning map on the projection screen with his pen and began to explain it to Lu Yuanzhou. Professor Huang Ziliang, pushing up his reading glasses, added some points on the verification and restoration principles of several key historical buildings. Finally, the planning team from Hong Kong also reported to him in broken Hong Kong-accented Mandarin on the estimated rental efficiency per square meter for each area.

Lu Yuanzhou sat down at the head of the long table, accepted the hot tea handed to him by his secretary, listened quietly to the reports, expressed a few opinions to everyone, and then took out his phone to check the call log. On the screen, there were more than ten missed calls from Liu Mingde.

He pressed the redial button.

It rang for a long time, but the receiver still only gave a long busy tone.

Lu Yuanzhou put down his phone, his gaze sweeping over the slightly tired faces of the group, and said with a smile, "It's getting late. How about we go have lunch first, and we can discuss the details this afternoon."

He paused, then looked at Zhao Yong, the project's general manager: "Mr. Zhao, could you please stay for a moment?"

One by one, everyone stood up, the rustling sound of packing up drawings and notebooks filling the brief silence. After the conference room door was gently closed, only Lu Yuanzhou and Zhao Yong remained inside.

Lu Yuanzhou then looked at the complex drawings and data tables on the table, and finally his gaze fell on a piece of image data wrapped in a brown paper bag.

He pulled out the top, yellowed old photograph.

It was a photo scanned and enlarged from an album borrowed from Xie Jing. A little girl in a princess dress stood on the bluestone road of the Bamboo Fragrance Ancient Alley, with a pair of pigtails, holding a bamboo windmill in her hand, and smiling with her eyes crinkled.

In the background, the signboard of "Chen's Bamboo Weaving" is clearly visible.

Lu Yuanzhou pointed at the photos and looked up at Zhao Yong, saying, "The renovation plan should preserve the original appearance and serve as a display point for intangible cultural heritage. If that Master Chen is willing, we can ask him to be our technical consultant."

Zhao Yong nodded and took notes.

Lu Yuanzhou got up and walked to the sand table. The miniature model of the Bamboo Fragrance Cultural Park had been completed, with green tiles and white walls, small bridges and flowing water, and winding alleys. He said, "Have the structural assessment reports for these late Qing Dynasty residences in the middle of the alleys been released yet?"

Zhao Yong said, "They're out, President Lu. These are all dilapidated buildings with severely corroded beams and pillars. I suggest they be demolished and rebuilt."

Lu Yuanzhou nodded: "Okay, but the original blue bricks must be used during the reconstruction, and the size and color must be consistent. The wooden window lattices should be replicated by a master craftsman, and not a single pattern can be wrong."

"This..." Zhao Yong looked somewhat troubled.

"explain."

"If we do it this way, the cost will be at least 40% higher, and the construction period will also be..."

“Do as I say.” Lu Yuanzhou glanced at him. “This project doesn’t need to consider investment, but it must be completed on schedule. Tell Tang Hui and Huang Ziliang that what I want is not an antique park or a commercial street, but a place that can tell stories and carry memories.”

The project manager dared not say another word and lowered his head to take notes.

Lu Yuanzhou walked to the window and looked out at the alley. The sunlight was scorching, the roof tiles were white from the heat, the roar of bulldozers sounded intermittently, and dust swirled on the construction site.

He suddenly remembered the childish handwriting Li Yufei had written under the photo of the old osmanthus tree in the album: "Tree hole, oh tree hole, am I the prettiest girl in the Bamboo Fragrance Kingdom?"

The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

But there was no smile in his eyes.

Lu Yuanzhou withdrew his gaze, turned to Zhao Yong and said, "You can go out now."

Zhao Yong nodded, got up and left, closing the door behind him.

Lu Yuanzhou took out his phone again, found Liu Mingde's number, and dialed it once more.

This time, it rang seven or eight times before being answered.

The receiver was initially filled with a chaotic background noise, interspersed with heavy breathing. Several seconds later, Liu Mingde's voice finally came through, sounding as if he was having some difficulty speaking: "Lu, Lu Yuanzhou? You, you actually called me?"

Lu Yuanzhou glanced at the time, smiled, and said, "President Liu, I've called you several times today, but I haven't been able to get through."

Liu Mingde said, "Speak frankly." Lu Yuanzhou said, "President Liu, things have escalated to this point, and everyone needs an explanation. I think we should also come to a conclusion."

Are you afraid?

Is that how you see me?

"My opinion of you has never changed!" Liu Mingde's voice suddenly became agitated: "You still have your eye on my last 50% stake, don't you? Let me tell you, don't even dream about it. I've already decided to transfer the stake to Zhang Yunqi."

Lu Yuanzhou's eyes narrowed slightly: "Why?"

Liu Mingde said, "For no reason, I just want to transfer it to him."

Lu Yuanzhou's fingers tightened slightly around his phone, but his tone remained calm: "President Liu, let's be frank. You are a successful businessman, and businessmen are driven by profit. I guarantee that the price I offer for your 50% stake will not be lower than Zhang Yunqi's."

"Give me a billion?"

"There's no need to make such a joke."

"I was serious."

“Fine, I can’t afford that price, but if you insist on transferring the shares to Zhang Yunqi, then I can tell you something,” Lu Yuanzhou said. “You were kidnapped and beaten by Qiao Zhiwu again this morning?”

"So what?!"

"This was instigated by Zhang Yunqi."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"Is this funny?"

"The mudslinging you're throwing is utterly beneath your intelligence as the young master of the Lu family! Who doesn't know about the conflict between Zhang Yunqi and Qiao Zhiwu? You're not telling me you haven't heard about the bridge blockade at Orange Isle? Qiao Zhiwu pointed a gun at Zhang Yunqi right in front of Song Zijian!" Liu Mingde chuckled, his voice sharp as an awl. "Now I finally sense that you're afraid, Lu Yuanzhou, the pride of the Lu family for three generations. Are you particularly afraid that I'll give my shares to Zhang Yunqi?"

Lu Yuanzhou's voice on the phone also turned cold and hard: "I'm telling the truth."

"I've seen you turn too many fakes into real ones."

Give me two days, and I'll give you the evidence.

"Hehe, did you even give me time?"

"Mr. Liu, please don't let your emotions get the better of you!"

"Acting on impulse? Lu Yuanzhou, don't you think it's ridiculous that you're saying such things?!" Liu Mingde's breathing suddenly became heavy, like a broken bellows, each word filled with blood-stained hatred: "When Jinzhao Industry was first established, I was the one who got the loan, I was the one who pulled the strings, I was the one who secured the project! I poured all my money into this project, even borrowing from loan sharks! And what did you do in return? You used a ruthless tactic, not only failing to give me the 10% upfront fee you promised, but also selling off shops at a low price to transfer company assets, putting hundreds of millions of yuan into your pocket, leaving me with nothing of my 50% profit share! Now you've completely drained me, leaving me bankrupt! But you still think it's not enough, you want to join forces with Xu Kai to seize my 50% share! How vicious!"

Liu Mingde's voice was hoarse, his tone hysterical: "Zhang Yunqi is no good person, and you, Lu Yuanzhou, are you some kind of innocent saint? I've fallen to this state entirely because of you, Lu Yuanzhou! Don't worry, Lu Yuanzhou, I will definitely transfer all my shares to Zhang Yunqi. Let the wicked suffer!"

"you!"

"And I don't want a single penny from Zhang Yunqi!"

"What do you mean?"

"Because I will make a condition to him."

"What conditions?"

"Kill you!"

******
It was late May, but the weather in Ritu suddenly turned scorching hot without any transition, as if summer had arrived overnight, and the sun was so intense that the air in the city seemed to distort.

Security guard Xiao Zhang sat in the shade at the entrance of the Huarong Jinhuishan Building, watching female office workers in high heels moving in and out of the revolving doors. Their buttocks swayed gracefully under their black business suits, bringing with them a scent mixed with perfume and heat. He felt a little thirsty.

His job is to welcome and see off people here.

The greatest pain of each day is bowing and scraping to bosses who drive luxury cars and have beautiful young models in their arms; the greatest pleasure of each day is admiring the beautiful young models lying in the arms of these bosses.

Life is always full of contradictions.

Security guard Xiao Zhang couldn't help but wonder why, despite being so handsome, his father wasn't named Li Ka-shing.
Just as he was admiring the beautiful woman and contemplating life, a black Audi 100 drove up from a distance and slowly pulled up to a stop in front of the building.

His bottom instinctively bounced off the stool, and he jogged over to meet him. Although most of the people who came to Huarong Jinhuishan were petty bourgeoisie or white-collar workers, those who could afford an Audi 100 were still a minority.

This status cannot be low.

The car door opened, and a trembling hand reached out first, gripping the door frame tightly, the knuckles turning white from the force. Then, a fat body laboriously moved out.

Security guard Xiao Zhang stared in disbelief at the person who came out.

This is a very, very fat man.

Their social status is certainly not low.

What was surprising was his appearance: his hair was disheveled, his face was covered in bruises, his left eye was swollen into a thin slit, and there was a dark red scab on the corner of his mouth. His expensive Armani suit hung like a strip of cloth, covered with dust and dark stains, it was hard to tell whether it was blood or mud.

After getting out of the car, the man stood in the shadow cast by the Jinhuishan Building, his expression numb, his gaze blankly fixed on the unreachable top floor. The glass curtain wall reflected the clouds above and his small, hunched figure.

After a long while, the man took a deep breath, and then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, bent down, not in a bow, but on all fours, lying prone on the scorching hot granite ground.

The rough stone surface rubbed against his knees and palms.

Security guard Xiao Zhang snapped out of his daze and quickly walked over: "Sir, you..."

The man ignored him.

He began to crawl forward, inch by inch, his movements slow and stiff. The knees of his Armani trousers were quickly worn raw, and his palms burned. Some people stopped and exclaimed in surprise along the way, but he did not stop.

He climbed over the lobby, into the elevator, and up to the top floor.

******
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P.S.: Guys, this is a major plot, full of twists and turns that keep it moving forward, but the first climax is coming soon!!!
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