The God of Wealth starts with doing whatever you want

On the evening before the bidding conference, Ning Qian's car slowly drove into Jiang County.

She specifically asked the driver to take a detour past the projects she was in charge of.

This project, which she personally created, has now become an integral part of the daily life of the county.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Xu Yun.

How much longer until we arrive?

Ning Qian replied, "I'll be there in half an hour."

She turned off her phone and took a makeup mirror out of her handbag.

The woman in the mirror had exquisite makeup, wore a well-tailored beige suit, her long hair was tied into a low bun at the back of her head, and she wore two small pearl earrings on her earlobes, which were understated and not too flashy.

"Mr. Ning, do you need to go to the hotel to drop off your luggage first?" Xiao Lin, the assistant in the front row, asked softly.

"Need not."

Ning Qian put away the mirror and said, "Let's just go over there."

Xu Yun's temporary new home is hidden deep in a small alley, with white walls, gray tiles, and a half-closed wooden door.

When Ning Qian pushed open the door, Xu Yun was pacing around in the yard, holding a tiny baby.

The early autumn evening sunlight slanted in, gilding him with a soft golden edge.

He lowered his head and whispered something to the little one in his arms, his expression gentler than Ning Qian had ever seen before.

Hearing footsteps, Xu Yun looked up and smiled: "You're here?"

"Ah."

Ning Qian walked over with a smile, her gaze involuntarily falling on the face of the baby wrapped in a light blue swaddle in his arms. She said with some surprise, "This is..."

"Xu Miaomiao, my daughter."

Xu Yun adjusted her holding position so that Ning Qian could see her more clearly, and said, "Miao Miao, this is Aunt Ning Qian."

The little one was sleeping soundly, his face was rosy, and his eyelashes were long and thick, trembling slightly with his breathing.

Ning Qian watched, and a soft spot suddenly appeared in her heart.

They were also shocked to learn that Chen Xin had already given birth. No wonder Xu Yun seemed to have disappeared from Jiangcheng recently.

"She...is really beautiful."

Ning Qian spoke softly, wanting to reach out and touch the child's little hand, but stopped in mid-air.

"Want a hug?" Xu Yun asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ning Qian quickly shook her head: "I... I don't know how to hold a child, I'm afraid I'll wake her up."

As they were talking, Chen Xin came out from the inner room, wearing an apron around her waist and with flour still on her hands: "Sister Qian is here? Come in and sit down, I'm making dumplings, they'll be ready soon."

Because the procedure went smoothly, Chen Xin recovered quickly and is now no different from a normal person.

I'm also trying to learn how to be a mother.

"Hello, Chen Xin."

Ning Qian nodded somewhat awkwardly and said, "How about I help you..."

"That won't do."

Chen Xin interrupted her with a smile, her gaze lingering on Ning Qian's face for a moment before turning to Xu Yun and saying sensibly, "Give me the child first, and you two can talk."

"Oh."

Xu Yun carefully handed the child to her, her movements practiced and natural.

Ning Qian watched their smooth and tacit understanding, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

It's not jealousy, it's more like...envy.

"Let's go inside."

Xu Yun gestured for Ning Qian to follow.

The tea room was small, but elegantly decorated.

Xu Yun knew Ning Qian didn't like tea, so he made her a cup of hand-ground coffee.

Ning Qian sat opposite him and realized for the first time how focused this man was when making coffee.

Compared to himself, Xu Yun seems to have matured a bit more over the past year.

Or rather, more like a father?
Xu Yun pushed a cup of coffee in front of her and asked with a smile, "How's the bidding preparation going?"

"Everything that needs to be prepared has been prepared."

Ning Qian picked up her coffee, the steam rising from it, and said, "It shouldn't be a big problem."

"I heard that several central state-owned enterprises also submitted bids this time."

"Seven families."

Ning Qian put down her teacup, her expression turning serious, and replied, "China Construction Third Engineering Bureau, China Railway Construction Corporation, Beijing Urban Construction Group... they are all tough nuts to crack."

But our advantages are also obvious, because we have successful cases in the old town of Jiangcheng and the Jiangzhong Peninsula project in the south of the city, and we have a deeper understanding of Jiang County, and..."

She paused, then looked at Xu Yun: "With more adequate funding, Yuntian can independently undertake the construction of the entire new city without subcontracting."

Xu Yun nodded without saying anything.

"you……"

Ning Qian hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Aren't you going to ask about the specific details?"

I trust you to do things.

Xu Yun smiled and said, "If you really want to ask about the details, it should be the people sitting on the judging panel tomorrow who ask."

The trust in those words warmed Ning Qian's heart.

"Oh, right."

Xu Yun seemed to remember something and said, "After dinner, come with me somewhere."

"Where?"

"Gold shop".

Ning Qian was taken aback: "A gold shop?"

"Let's pick out a gift for Miaomiao."

Xu Yun looked at her and teased, "As an auntie, you can't just come empty-handed, can you?"

"..."

Ning Qian's face flushed red: "I originally wanted to say I'd give her a big red envelope."

"Red envelopes are too tacky."

Xu Yun shook his head and said with a smile, "Choose something meaningful."

Ning Qian: "Oh."

The atmosphere at dinner was unexpectedly harmonious.

Chen Xin made dumplings with thin wrappers and generous fillings, and also prepared several home-style dishes.

Ning Qian was a little reserved at first, but Chen Xin naturally served her food and soup, and didn't hold back when talking about parenting.

“She wakes up two or three times a night to feed her and change her diapers. Sometimes she just falls asleep and then wakes up again.”

As Chen Xin spoke, there was no weariness in her eyes, only a gentle light, and she smiled, "But every time I see her sleeping soundly after eating her fill, I feel that everything is worth it."

Ning Qian listened silently, her gaze occasionally drifting to the stroller leaning against the wall.

The little guy woke up sometime ago and was staring at the chandelier on the ceiling with his big, dark eyes.

"She seems to have woken up," Ning Qian whispered.

Chen Xin got up to look and smiled: "If she's not crying, she's just playing by herself. Miao Miao is a good girl; she rarely cries for no reason."

“Like you,” Xu Yun replied.

"Just like you."

Chen Xin glanced back at him, and the two smiled at each other.

Seeing this heartwarming scene, Ning Qian raised her glass and said softly, "Chen Xin, President Xu, congratulations! I...I'm so happy for you both."

She was telling the truth.

After the meal, Xu Yun indeed took Ning Qian to the largest gold shop in the county.

It was past 8 p.m., and there were hardly any customers left in the store. The saleswoman greeted them warmly: "What would you like to see?"

"Let's pick out a gift for the child," Xu Yun said.

The sales assistant immediately started recommending longevity locks, small bracelets, and zodiac pendants.

Ning Qian looked at them one by one, but always felt that something was missing.

"Anything... a little more special?"

She asked, "Not these common ones."

The saleswoman thought for a moment and said, "Customization is possible. We have experienced craftsmen in our store who can make any style."

"custom made……"

Ning Qian murmured to herself, then her eyes lit up and she said, "A gold pen! How about customizing a gold pen?"

Xu Yun raised an eyebrow: "A golden pen?"

"Ah."

Ning Qian became more and more excited as she spoke, and said with a smile, "I hope Miao Miao can study hard in the future and become a writer like Sister Chen Xin."

A pen is a symbol of culture, and gold represents preciousness; a gold pen is both meaningful and can be preserved for a long time.

The saleswoman smiled and replied, "That's a great idea. We can make a small pen with engravings on the barrel."

"What words should we carve?" Ning Qian asked Xu Yun.

Xu Yun paused for a moment, then said, "Let's carve 'Exquisite Writings'."

“Exquisite writing…”

Ning Qian repeated softly, then smiled, "Okay."

After deciding on the style, weight, and engraving content, a deposit was paid, and it was agreed that the goods would be picked up in half a month.

When I left the jewelry store, it was already late at night, and the streets were quiet, with only the streetlights casting a warm yellow glow in the autumn wind.

"Honey, thank you for being so thoughtful."

Ning Qian only calls him that when they are alone together. When other people are present, she will still call him President Xu.

She looked down at the tips of her shoes and said, "I really don't know what to give. I'm afraid that giving something too insignificant will seem thoughtless, while giving something too extravagant..."

"Chen Xin wouldn't care about any of that."

Xu Yun interrupted her and said with a smile, "She was quite happy to see you today."

Ning Qian looked up at him: "Really?" "Yes."

Xu Yun nodded and teased, "She also said, 'When are you going to give me a child so that Miao Miao can keep her company?'"

"..."

These words left Ning Qian stunned.

She only caught up with Xu Yun quickly after he had taken a few steps.

"Xu Yun".

She called out to him, her voice soft and slightly hesitant, "Can I have your child?"

"of course."

Xu Yun turned around, his expression obscured by the darkness, but his voice was gentle: "I've always had this plan, but you're all too career-oriented, and I guess you don't really want children now."

"Thank you."

Ning Qian responded and said happily, "Three years from now, I will definitely give you a big, healthy son."

"is it?"

Xu Yun couldn't help but laugh and said, "Whether it's a boy or a girl is up to me, not you."

……

The following morning at 9:00 AM, in the bidding hall on the third floor of the Jiang County Government Affairs Center.

Ning Qian and her team arrived half an hour early. Today, she wore a dark blue suit, her hair was neatly combed, and her makeup was more refined and serious than yesterday.

The conference room was already quite full, and she immediately recognized representatives from several state-owned enterprises.

They were all dressed in dark suits, looking composed, and talking to each other in hushed tones.

"President Ning, that's the deputy general manager of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau over there, his surname is Wang."

Assistant Xiaolin whispered in his ear, "The table on the left belongs to Beijing Urban Construction Group, and the person leading the team is their East China General Manager."

Ning Qian nodded slightly and sat down in the seat marked "Yuntian Real Estate".

Bottled water, paper, pens, and her tender documents were already laid out on the table.

Three thick volumes, neatly packaged.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the judges entered the room.

The seven committee members come from the county's development and reform, housing and construction, finance, and planning departments, as well as two external experts.

The host was the director of the county construction committee, a man in his fifties with gray hair.

After a brief opening, the bidding process officially began.

"First, each bidding unit will present its proposal in turn, with each unit having twenty minutes. The order will be determined by drawing lots."

The director adjusted his glasses and said, "The first one is China Railway Construction Corporation."

The presentations by the central state-owned enterprises were rigorous and standardized, the PPTs were impeccable, the data was detailed, and the plans were comprehensive.

But Ning Qian listened and found their plan too standard, so standard that it seemed like it could be copied and pasted from any county.

When it was Yuntian Real Estate's turn, it was already the fifth company to be included.

Ning Qian stood up, walked to the podium, and opened the laptop she had brought.

"Good morning/afternoon, judges. I am Ning Qian from Yuntian Real Estate."

Her voice was clear and steady, "Before presenting the plan, I would like to show you a few photos."

The first picture is of the old city before its renovation.

The power lines were tangled like a spider web, the road surface was potholed, and the shop signs along the street were damaged and faded.

The second picture shows workers laying bluestone slabs in the rain during the renovation.

The third picture shows what it looks like now: an elderly person practicing Tai Chi in the morning light, and a child going to school with a backpack.

"This is the renovation project of the old city of Jiangcheng that we completed a year ago."

Ning Qian switched to the PPT and said confidently, "What we are going to talk about today is not to tear down and rebuild the old city, but to let the life of the old city continue in the new city."

Her plan began with a river.

There is a nearly forgotten stream in the North City planning area, which has been used as a drainage ditch for many years.

The state-owned enterprise's plan was to landfill it, while Ning Qian's plan was to dredge and purify it, making it an ecological corridor running through the new city again.

"Landfilling costs one-third of dredging."

One of the judges raised a question, asking, "Why was the more expensive option chosen?"

"Because this river lives, the new city lives."

Ning Qian clicked on the next page. In the rendering, the river water was clear, the banks were shaded by green trees, and people were walking and cycling on the walkway.

“We have done the long-term calculations. The ecological corridor will increase the value of the surrounding land and attract high-quality commercial and residential projects to settle in. We can recover the cost within five years.”

More importantly, it preserved a vital artery for the county town.

Ning Qian spoke almost entirely off-script for the rest of her presentation.

She explained how to preserve the existing dozen or so ancient trees that are over a hundred years old, how to design building spacing to adapt to the local climate, and how to plan underground spaces that can meet parking needs without disrupting the streetscape.

Behind every detail lies months of in-depth research conducted by the team in Jiang County.

"The last little bit."

Ning Qian looked at the judges' panel and said, "Regarding funding, Yuntian Real Estate promises that 5 billion yuan in start-up funds will be in place within one week of winning the bid."

Throughout the entire project lifecycle, we will not subcontract to ensure consistent construction standards and clear accountability.

These are our bank credit certificates and past project audit reports.

She handed a thick stack of photocopies of documents to the staff.

A low murmur of discussion arose in the conference room.

After all presentations were completed, the review committee members left the room to deliberate.

The waiting time felt exceptionally long.

Representatives from several state-owned enterprises gathered together for a smoke, but no one came over to talk to Ning Qian; the atmosphere was subtle and tense.

Xiao Lin asked quietly, "President Ning, are you confident?"

Looking out the window at the national flag fluttering atop the Jiang County government building, Ning Qian said softly, "We've done what we could. Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate."

An hour and a half later, the judges re-entered the room.

The director of the construction committee was holding an envelope.

"After evaluation by the review committee, the winning bidder for the Jiangxian North City New Area Construction Project is—"

He opened the envelope, paused for a second, and said, "Yuntian Real Estate Group."

Applause broke out, but it was sparse.

But Ning Qian could no longer hear.

She stood up, bowed slightly, and accepted the notification of winning the bid.

As the event was ending, Mr. Wang from China Construction Third Engineering Bureau came over, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "President Ning, congratulations, your proposal is indeed excellent."

"Thank you, Mr. Wang."

Ning Qian shook hands with him and replied, "I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together in the future."

"There will be a chance."

Mr. Wang smiled and lowered his voice, saying, "But next time, we won't give in so easily."

"I'm ready to serve you anytime."

Stepping out of the government service center, the bright autumn sun shone down.

Ning Qian stood on the steps, took a deep breath, and took out her phone.

The first call was to Xu Yun.

It rang twice before being answered.

Xu Yun's voice came through, tinged with laughter, asking, "Did you win?"

"Ah."

Ning Qian smiled and replied, "I got it."

"I'll be waiting for you at our usual spot, let's celebrate."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Ning Qian did not leave immediately.

She turned around, looking at the government affairs center building, in the direction of the new city she was about to personally build.

"President Ning?" Xiao Lin called softly.

"Let's go."

Ning Qian withdrew her gaze and walked down the steps.

The sound of her high heels clicking on the ground was crisp and firm as she walked step by step toward the car waiting for her, toward the next beginning.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Xu Yun hung up the phone.

Chen Xin looked up, smiled, and asked, "Sister Qian, are you coming over for dinner tonight?"

"She needs to rush back to Jiangcheng tonight."

"Then next time."

Chen Xin adjusted her position while holding the child and said, "I haven't thanked her for the gold pen yet."

"We'll have plenty of time to meet in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities."

"Ah."

Chen Xin suddenly leaned closer and whispered, "Honey, all those women around you are good women and deserve to be treated well. You should not hurt them because of them."

"Do not worry."

Xu Yun laughed and said, "Your husband is a womanizer, he would never give up the whole garden for just you. Just don't be jealous."

"I won't."

Chen Xin pouted and said, "I have Xu Miaomiao now, I don't have time to care about you."

"Fine, fine, you've already fallen for someone else so quickly."

Xu Yun, ever the devil, said dishonestly, "Believe it or not, I'll abandon you right now and go to Jiangcheng to fool around with other women."

"Go ahead, anyway, I can't fulfill my duties as a wife right now."

Chen Xin said dismissively, "I can only ask my other sisters to help me share the burden. As an author who writes novels about rich men, I'm very open-minded about having multiple female leads."

Xu Yun: "..."
-
P.S.: Happy New Year everyone!!! May you be rich and have a girlfriend soon! (End of Chapter)