My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 402 Trapped in one's own web, unable to extricate oneself

It's a bit like luring someone into a trap.

Everyone knows that real estate is a lucrative business with huge profits, and housing reform will bring about tremendous changes.

The bizarre housing situation in nearby Hong Kong, along with the skyrocketing housing prices in Tokyo in the 1980s, both highlight the deliciousness of this huge pie.

However, its sales in the mainland market during the same period were almost zero, which is abnormal.

The welfare housing allocation system, which is touted as a sign of superiority, has indeed reached a dead end.

Therefore, there are those who strongly guard against disrupting the situation, and those who urgently hope to break the deadlock through housing reform.

The parties involved were already engaged in intense debate and negotiation.

Even the former leaders of Shangzhou have concluded that a large part of the current economic predicament is due to housing.

Building houses in rural areas dissipates valuable social resources to nothing, while the construction and distribution of housing by work units, factories, and mines further burdens the government to the brink of collapse.

As the most expensive item, this product has naturally become the focus of attention.

Wei Dong, that hotheaded old security guard, still has the audacity to think that I'm like a non-stick pan, willing to help for free but never touching a speck of oil, lest I get caught doing something wrong.

That's why it seems so unique.

This is precisely why Jiangzhou, Shangzhou, and even Shanghai, which he had experienced, felt like he had found a treasure.

It's rare to find a trustworthy guy who doesn't need to waste words to emphasize the nuances, knows when to advance and retreat, and even more rare is his ability to push for housing reform. Why not use him?
Anyway, I won't be greedy.

This is Weidong's biggest selling point.

When he started in Shangzhou, he did several things for Shangzhou in order to get You Qili out, and he kept himself completely absolved of responsibility in all of them.

Anyway, I can make money by doing business. As long as I make a gesture of giving back to the public on these sensitive and public matters, I won't be criticized or have anyone find fault with me.

If the former leader doesn't keep him focused on the continued development of Shangzhou, it would be a disservice to the professional standards he has demonstrated throughout his decades-long leadership career.

He then went to Jiangzhou to make sanitary napkins, originally just a promising and high-quality businessman.

Unfortunately, it was during that time when he bought houses for employees that his true colors were revealed – he was very knowledgeable about real estate!
They are even very knowledgeable about the pitfalls and profiteering aspects of the real estate industry.

That's it. From that time on, I was listed as a consultant at Jiangzhou Real Estate Development Company, so even if Weidong was like a cat stealing sticky rice cakes, he couldn't get his hands on me.

The housing reforms in Shangzhou and Jiangzhou were almost entirely carried out under his leadership, yet he ultimately did not reap any benefits.

Shanghai is a melting pot of all sorts of people, from those who know about stocks and real estate to those with connections and ambitions.

Instead, they covered their hands and pressed down, afraid to start it casually.

Wei Dong has once again walked right into the trap.

He was happily repairing his factory and building office in the electronics industrial park, and this matter might have just passed by.

Unfortunately, he was persuaded by Hong Kong businessmen to get involved in the real estate industry.

In fact, which local leader wouldn't want to use this dragon-slaying sword? Shanghai is a prime example of the rampant construction of new residential villages around the city.

But Shanghai is different; its citizens have seen it all.

I've known for a long time that the value of a house varies depending on its location.

They are better able to distinguish the differences in taste and value between alleyways, new-style lane houses, and old villas, and are not easily fooled.

They would rather live in a dilapidated old apartment in the former concession area than move to a newly built house in the suburbs.

Not to mention spending money to buy this kind of new house, I definitely won't be fooled.

The model that Jiangzhou promoted, where factories made money and could buy new houses to improve their lives, could be applied in Shanghai to the same scenario: "Why should I buy a new house? I can invest the money in stocks to make more money, or buy a TV, refrigerator, VCR, drink coffee, wear Western clothes, and enjoy life."

Therefore, it is much more difficult for Shanghai to carry out housing reform than for Jiangzhou.

However, this side also had a brilliant idea: "There is a serious problem of traffic disruption during commuting in Shanghai right now. I think your electronics factory can take the lead and set an example by arranging for employees to live near the factory area, which is exactly in line with the two adjustment plans we just proposed."

Wei Dong still had to ask what the two surveys were.

Hu Hai shared his experience: "Why is the traffic so congested during rush hour in such a big city? It's because employees have to commute to work in different areas over long distances. If we could transfer employees to different workplaces or change their housing, allowing them to commute to get off work closer to home, wouldn't that solve the traffic problem?"

Wei Dong was dumbfounded: "In Jiangzhou, we allow vehicles from various units to temporarily serve as buses. It's truly a case of everyone showing their unique abilities."

The city government in Shanghai understood: "Jiangzhou doesn't have as many units or cars as Shanghai. If we allow everyone to come out and act as temporary buses during peak hours, the buses might not be as crowded, but the roads would be a complete mess. We need to make the most appropriate adjustments based on the different situations in each place." So, Wei Dong's idea of ​​building residences within the factory area did indeed align with the current emphasis in Shanghai. The decision was made immediately: he could build them himself, he had to build them, and they would be on adjacent land, not encroaching on the factory area. They could even build the residential area on a larger scale and sell them to employees of other factories and units in the electronics industrial park.

This can be seen as quietly opening the door for Shanghai to explore the development of commercial housing.

This also serves as important evidence of the effectiveness of the two surveys.

Even without a translator, the Hong Kong businessmen understood that the attitude Wei Dong received in these cities was completely different from theirs.

Everyone treats them as investors and money bags, welcoming them warmly, cooperating actively, and implementing strict policies, but they treat you like their own children, taking meticulous care of you.

If all else fails, we'll have to let you manage the investments on our behalf. At least at this stage, only you can make such stable and comprehensive investments. We'll allocate funds to you, and then we'll share the profits.

This made Wei Dong genuinely scratch his head.

Why are they getting into real estate again?
But it's something we have to do.

This Apple computer OEM definitely needs the full cooperation of Vacuum Electronics Factory, which means that all the skilled workers from the TV picture tube factory here have been mobilized to make monitor picture tubes.

We also need to transfer various skilled workers from food vacuum machinery factories and even audio electronic component factories to work on the computer production line.

These jobs are spread across several locations in the city, and coming to this new district in the western suburbs for work definitely adds a lot of unnecessary commuting pressure.

When the old security guard was bored, he watched a lot of videos of bloggers commuting around Beijing and Shanghai. The four or five hours of commuting every day was simply unbelievable.

Even though some of them were supposedly staged, it made this guy, who had lived and worked in the compound his whole life, feel that the outside world was too terrifying.

Looking at the commuting distances of over ten kilometers on the map now, it's clear that this is necessary.

The main reason is that this was a piece of cake for him.

Unwilling to move out of the old, dilapidated apartment in the city center?
That's because the new houses in the suburbs aren't attractive enough.

If it's an apartment building with an elevator, a garden, amenities, sports and fitness facilities, restaurants and cinemas, supermarkets and hospitals, and a vibrant, lively atmosphere.

Would you like to move here?

Those old, dilapidated houses where several generations lived together in cramped spaces of just over ten square meters are now worthless.

Why not take advantage of the current housing prices, which are practically free, and buy a better property in this area that seems like the suburbs but will become the city center in the future?

Wei Dong had vaguely seen the video. On the street where he was to pay compensation for the old house, there seemed to be a famous villa in Shanghai, where many families lived.

The longer the issue of property rights for these old houses is delayed, the more complicated it becomes.

Because if even one household refuses to sign or agree to the sale or relocation, the ownership of the building cannot be consolidated, making it impossible to sell, repair, or change its fate.

Moreover, as time spanned several decades, and Shanghai residents tended to settle abroad, the number of heirs increased and scattered across various regions. The situation evolved from a few households to dozens of households, eventually becoming hundreds of heirs, which ultimately created an impossible mess to clean up, resulting in losses for everyone.

It would be a win-win situation to loosen the knots before many are tied.

They took the Hong Kong businessmen to one of the few long-established hotels catering to foreigners in the city, and also had them sit in a famous jazz bar. Wei Dong then thought about it and decided to go for it.

I don't care about making money or leaving any evidence against me.

He was unaware that this was his biggest weakness, and it was constantly being exploited and used against him.

Several more agreements were signed at the bar counter before the real estate investment in Shanghai was finalized.

Qin Yuye is also a Hong Kong businesswoman, but she didn't stay here with the other tycoons. Since it was her first time in Shanghai, she didn't stay on the fourth floor of the office building out of curiosity like Fengchu. Instead, she insisted on working as a Cantonese translator and is now helping the assistants of the big bosses to arrange the surrounding affairs.

After seeing the bosses off to rest, he came over and bowed to observe Wei Dong's expression: "We... can go home now."

Wei Dong stopped pondering and asked, "You don't live here?"

Qin Yuye gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear: "In their eyes, I'm just following the crowd, but I really like the atmosphere on the mainland and I definitely want to be with you. Moreover, I like your magnanimity in not being petty about such a small amount of money."

Wei Dong scoffed and stood up: "What grandstanding do I have? The mainland is different... Yes, just like we don't like to use the word 'mainland.' The current economic gap between the mainland and Hong Kong is a small matter. The difference in mindset is the big problem. If we don't look at the long term, we won't be able to maintain our current situation at all."

Qin Yuye made a few incredibly beautiful and mischievous faces behind his back before gracefully following him: "Sometimes I think you're like an old man, steady and reliable, and other times you're like a naive young man, which is quite attractive... Oh, I'm not trying to seduce you. I've been having dinner with your wife a lot these days, and she's a nice person. Hmm, Miss Shen asked me to tell you that she misses you. Let me think what else... The restaurant in that little building on the ridge is finished. We invited President Heng and the others to try it, and they raved about it..."

Stepping out, you'll find yourself in one of Shanghai's most renowned and bustling old neighborhoods. Even without the glitz and glamour, the allure of decades past is subtly revealed, like a veiled beauty.

Listening to the soft, fragrant whispers in his ear, and glancing at that dreamlike face, Wei Dong was still a little dazed.

Two years have passed; is this real or fake?

(End of this chapter)