Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 329 Another debt collector arrives.
Sure enough, after seeing it, He Daqing immediately called home and then personally cooked a dish.

When Chen Lanxiang got home that evening, she didn't ask any more questions. It was all He Yuyao's idea; he must have done it more than once.

The next day, when He Yuxin went to ask him out again, he was not rejected, because they had talked the night before about how he wouldn't be staying for more than a few days after he came back.

He Yuzhu also gave his third brother a holiday, so He Yuxin has been driving around Hong Kong with his beauty these past few days.

He Yuyao was incredibly envious, but unfortunately he didn't have that much concentrated time.

After He Yuxin left Hong Kong and returned to the mainland, Rosamund Kwan's life seemed to return to its original track, but she had an extra, subtle longing in her heart.

This third young master of the He family was completely different from the wealthy young men she had known before. He had no ostentatious displays of wealth or frivolous behavior, but instead possessed a calm and reserved demeanor.

In early May, a delegation composed of officials from mainland ministries arrived in Hong Kong.

This sizable delegation was ostensibly on an academic exchange and business trip, but in reality, it also carried out a special review mission.

He Yuzhu received a notification from President Shen in advance, instructing Gu Yuanheng to be in charge of the main reception work.

On the third day after the delegation's arrival, he met with the delegation's main leaders in the group's headquarters conference room.

There's a reason for that; he didn't want to appear too proactive, as this isn't decades from now.

"Mr. He, I've long admired your name." The head of the delegation was a middle-aged man around fifty years old, whose handshake was firm and steady.

"I don't have any great reputation, just some empty titles," He Yuzhu said modestly.

"Haha, Mr. He is too modest. I have been to both Jidong and the Special Economic Zone. The Yellow River Group is truly powerful."

"It's just average!" He Yuzhu replied with a smile.

"Mr. He, excessive modesty is arrogance!" the man joked.

"Don't dare!"

"Let's begin the formal meeting agenda," said the head of the delegation.

"can."

"This is what we want to cooperate on. People from the relevant departments are here today. Let's see what we can achieve."

"no problem."

On the Yellow River side, everyone had a document on their desk. He Yuzhu started to look through it. He had to admit that the higher-ups really attached great importance to it, as it covered aviation, aerospace, and maritime fields, and each of them focused on a specific point.

Huang He himself only touched upon a portion of this list; as for why the others are on it, it seems it's all about money.

"Mr. He, how is it?" the delegation leader asked after He Yuzhu had finished looking around.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask," He Yuzhu said.

"Sure, ask."

He Yuzhu got up and began writing on the large blackboard.

"First, a mechanism to guarantee investment returns."

"Second, a technology security protection system."

"Third, regulatory measures for the use of funds."

Fourth, measures to prevent the loss of talent.

Fifth, risk assessment and response mechanisms.

With each line written, a suppressed murmur arose from the delegation's side.

Deputy Regiment Commander Li Hongguo leaned close to Regiment Commander Zhang Zhengyang's ear and whispered, "Regiment Commander, isn't He Yuzhu being a bit too serious? We didn't have so many restrictions when we cooperated with the Yellow River Group on other projects before."

Zhang Zhengyang frowned slightly, but did not reply. His eyes were fixed on the five points on the blackboard, as if he were deep in thought.

Professor Wang, the technical consultant standing nearby, couldn't help but mutter, "These clauses seem to protect the interests of the Yellow River, but they reveal a lack of trust in us. How can we possibly reach an agreement on this cooperation?"

After He Yuzhu put down the chalk, Zhang Zhengyang slowly spoke, his tone inquiring: "Mr. He, I would like to ask, what are your concerns? Given the cooperative relationship between Huanghe Group and us, there shouldn't be such heavy precautions."

He Yuzhu smiled, reached out and pulled back the curtain on the wall, revealing a huge world map to everyone.

He picked up his pointer and pointed to several places in turn: "Commander Zhang, please look here. The technological blockade imposed on us by Europe and the United States has never stopped; here, many countries are poaching our high-end talents; and here, they are eyeing our country with covetous intent."

As the pointer fell, the faces of the delegation members grew increasingly solemn.

Li Jianguo opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Zhang Zhengyang stared at the map for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "I understand. These are actually the problems we've been worried about all along. Mr. He has a long-term vision and has considered things more thoroughly than we have." "There's nothing we can do." He Yuzhu spread his hands, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Over the years, Huanghe has faced a lot of suppression as it expands overseas, so naturally we have to think more than others and prepare in advance."

"Mr. He, rest assured, we can accept all these terms." Zhang Zhengyang immediately stated, "Especially the point about talent loss, we will report it immediately after we return and instruct the relevant departments such as education and human resources to jointly introduce regulatory measures, so as not to let the talents we have worked so hard to cultivate be lost in vain."

He Yuzhu nodded and sat back down in his seat: "Alright, since Commander Zhang is so sincere, let's talk about which measures we can implement immediately and which need further refinement."

"No problem, we will definitely cooperate fully," Zhang Zhengyang said earnestly.

Over the next three days, the two sides engaged in meticulous negotiations regarding the project and the five terms.

Arguments rose and fell in the meeting room, and sometimes the two sides could be deadlocked for more than half an hour over a single regulatory detail.

"Regarding fund supervision, we hope to send people to participate in the financial audit of the project to ensure that every penny is used effectively," said Chen Hui, CFO of Yellow River Group.

Li Jianguo immediately retorted: "That's probably inappropriate. The school's financial system has its own regulations, and outsiders participating in the audit will disrupt our process."

He Yuzhu continued, "Director Chen's idea isn't to interfere with the school's normal finances, but rather to set up a separate account for this special fund we've invested, with both parties jointly supervising it. This way, we can ensure the safety of the funds without affecting other school operations. What does Regiment Commander Zhang think?"

Zhang Zhengyang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "This plan is feasible, and we can accept it."

During a break in the negotiations, Zhang Zhengyang specially invited He Yuzhu to the lounge next door.

As soon as he closed the door, he asked, "Mr. He, could you tell me more about the areas of severe brain drain that you mentioned yesterday? I really didn't expect that these areas would have such a high risk."

He Yuzhu poured tea for the two men and then slowly said after they sat down, “Commander Zhang, universities have only resumed enrollment for a few years, and many professionals have just been trained and haven’t had a chance to put their talents to use. In high-end fields like aerospace and materials science, the conditions offered by foreign countries are too tempting, and it’s easy for them to poach people. I’ve seen too many examples of this in Hong Kong and Taiwan. If we don’t take precautions in advance, we will suffer a great loss sooner or later.”

Zhang Zhengyang's face darkened: "You're right, we did overlook this point. So, what do you think we should do besides introducing regulatory measures?"

"The most important thing is to retain people's hearts," He Yuzhu said seriously. "We must not only restrict the outflow of talent, but also improve their treatment and provide them with better research conditions. As long as they feel that they can realize their value in China, they will naturally not think about going abroad."

Zhang Zhengyang wholeheartedly agreed: "Mr. He is absolutely right. I will definitely report these suggestions to my superiors when I get back and implement them as soon as possible."

He Yuzhu smiled but didn't continue, leaving it at that.

After drinking tea, the two returned to the conference room.

Five days later, when the Yellow River Group presented the final budget to the delegation, everyone was stunned.

Li Jianguo picked up the budget sheet, his voice trembling slightly: "Commander Zhang, this, this adds up to tens of millions of US dollars? And so much equipment, this investment is too huge!"

Looking at the budget sheet, Zhang Zhengyang muttered, "No wonder Mr. He made so many demands. With such a large investment, if it's not managed properly, it could really lead to a complete loss."

He Yuzhu explained from the side: "Although the investment in each of these projects is not large, only 300,000 or 500,000 US dollars, when there are dozens of projects in total, plus equipment purchases, the amount naturally goes up. But rest assured, Huanghe can afford to invest these amounts, of course, the returns must be commensurate with our investment."

No one can guarantee anything. Who can be sure that there will be results in just one phase? He Yuzhu wants to put pressure on people, otherwise they will really think that the money is easy to get.

A week later, the delegation prepared to return home.

Before leaving, Zhang Zhengyang specifically sought out He Yuzhu.

"Mr. He, although this negotiation was arduous, it also showed us your sincerity and vision. We will pay more attention to Huanghe's investments in the mainland after we return, and keep an eye on them for you. Please contact us anytime if you have any questions."

He Yuzhu quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Commander Zhang. I feel much more at ease knowing that you said that."

In June, the first phase of the Guangdong-Hong Kong joint venture automobile plant was completed.

At the invitation of Guangdong Province, He Yuzhu made a special trip to Xiangdu to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

As soon as they arrived at the car factory gate, Xu Damao greeted them with a smile: "Brother, you've finally arrived! I specially called back all the key personnel from the grassroots level so they could meet the big boss and boost morale."

He Yuzhu glared at him: "You always have so many ideas, but this one is not bad."

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, He Yuzhu went to the special economic zone to inspect other projects.

Zhou Ming, director of the Special Economic Zone Management Committee, warmly received him: "Mr. He, the Yellow River Group's investment in the Special Economic Zone has really helped us a lot, especially the communications project. Now everyone can't live without your pagers."

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Director Zhou, you flatter me. This is all a win-win situation. By the way, I'd like to talk to you about the special economic zone's future development plan."

During his inspection of the special economic zone, He Yuzhu noticed that almost everyone, from the management committee staff to the heads of enterprises, carried a Yellow River pager.

He pointed at the pager on Xu Damao's waist and asked, "You're something else, kid. You've turned pagers into a perk?"

Xu Damao smiled smugly: "Isn't it because we find it practical? Besides, we don't lose money selling pagers, and it can even boost sales. Look, now surrounding cities are all coming to talk about signal coverage, saying it's too inconvenient to go out without a pager."

"What's going on with the agency thing?" He Yuzhu pressed.

Xu Damao's smile faded, and he said seriously, "I can't just give out the agency rights. Just getting the machines isn't enough. The signal towers haven't covered those areas yet, and the investment in cross-regional networking is too large. I need to get approval from the group first. Besides, pagers are so expensive. Even a regular digital pager costs several hundred yuan, and a Chinese character display pager is almost two thousand. Where are all those rich people going to buy them?"

Upon returning to Hong Kong, He Yuzhu immediately convened a group meeting. He laid out the mainland company's development plan on the table: "Does everyone have any objections to expanding the telecommunications company?"

Xiaoman nodded first: "No objection. Hong Kong is almost saturated now, and the growth is very slow. The mainland pager market is just starting out, and the demand will continue to grow. Expanding the scale is inevitable."

Other executives also expressed their agreement.

But when other projects were mentioned, everyone hesitated.

Finally, Xiaoman said, "Mr. He, the investments in other projects are too large, and we haven't seen any return on investment yet. Should we wait a little longer?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "Okay, then let's focus on the communications project first, and observe the other projects for a while longer." In early July, He Yuzhu received a call from President Shen.

"Mr. He, good news! The first batch of laboratory projects has been approved by the higher authorities, three for Northwestern Polytechnical University and five for Harbin Institute of Technology! The relevant materials and contracts have been sent to Hong Kong, and you can start preparing equipment and funding."

He Yuzhu joked, "President Shen, this isn't good news for me. I'm going to have to spend some money."

"Hahahaha!"

"By the way, what were the points our group raised?"

"Everything above has been approved. The education department has already set up a special oversight team to monitor the project's progress and talent management. There will absolutely be no problems!"

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Then I'm relieved. We'll start preparations immediately and try to get the equipment and funds in place as soon as possible!"

"it is good."

In the special economic zone in July, the sun is already blindingly strong as soon as it rises.

Xu Damao, a cigarette dangling from his lips, was leaving the electronics factory construction site to drive back to the company when a crisp Beijing accent suddenly came from behind him: "Excuse me, could you tell me where Mr. Xu Damao is?"

Xu Damao turned around and saw a young man in his late twenties wearing a polyester shirt and with his hair neatly combed. He had a clever look in his eyes, but the sweat on his forehead made him look a bit disheveled.

When Xu Damao saw that a fellow townsman from Beijing had come, he wanted to tease him a bit. He squinted and took a puff of his cigarette: "Mr. Xu, you think you can just see me whenever you want? Who are you?"

The young man wasn't annoyed. He quickly stepped forward and offered a cigarette: "My name is Li Chengru, I'm from Beijing. Could you introduce me to someone?"

Xu Damao took it and clipped it to his ear, looking him up and down. "Which part of Beijing are you from?"

“From Dongcheng!” Li Chengru smiled.

"Where in Dongcheng are we from? We're from Dongcheng too."

"Near Shenwu Gate!"

"Oh, the capital city, huh? You must have had a very solid foundation back in the day!"

"Our family has fallen on hard times!" Li Chengru said with a forced smile.

"What do you want with General Manager Xu?"

"I heard this from a friend of mine. Now, half of the people in Beijing who deal in electrical appliances rely on Mr. Xu for their livelihood."

"What, you want to become a middleman too?"

"No, no, I have a proper job!"

"Heh, some of those black marketeers are unemployed and don't even work properly. What do you do, young man?"

Li Chengru put away his playful smile, pulled a red booklet from his canvas bag, and said, "I really do have a legitimate job. I work on the set of 'Journey to the West.' You've heard of 'Journey to the West,' right?"

"Journey to the West? The one with the monkey?"

"Yes, yes, you've seen it?"

"I've heard of it. What, you're not doing your job properly on set anymore? You want to find somewhere else to work?"

No, it's really not.

"Then what are you joking about? I have things to do, I'm leaving now." Xu Damao made a move to get into the car.

"How can you be like this? You said you'd introduce me to someone, and I've been talking for ages, but you just listened and left."

"What, you want to practice some more, kid?" Xu Damao took the cigarette off his ear and lit it again.

Li Chengru could tell from Xu Damao's appearance that he wasn't a good person, and since Xu Damao didn't know how to fight, he took two steps back. Xu Damao got into the car, closed the door, and drove off.

Li Chengru was so angry that he stomped his feet on the spot. What kind of person is this?

He ran into the construction site and started asking, "Excuse me, is Mr. Xu at the construction site?"

"Mr. Xu, didn't you just leave? Did you run into him?"

"Just left, what did they look like?"

"Middle-parted hair, mustache, tall."

Li Chengru was completely dumbfounded. The person he was looking for was the one who had tricked him. Who could he complain to?

"Master, may I ask again, is Mr. Xu easy to talk to?"

"He's so easy to talk to, really easy to talk to. Even though it's so hot, he'll have someone bring us mung bean soup to cool us down."

Li Chengru really wanted to ask, "Are you talking about the same person I saw?"
After thanking the man, Li Chengru walked dejectedly toward the Yellow River (Special Economic Zone) Building, from which he had just come.

He hadn't walked a mile when he saw the car from before parked by the roadside. He ran a few steps forward, but before he even got close, the car window rolled down and Xu Damao poked his head out: "Hey buddy, got it sorted out? Need a ride for the first part of the journey?"

Li Chengru is so angry he can't vent it; this guy is just too much of a joker.

He said with a forced smile, "Mr. Xu, please don't tease me!"

"Hahaha, get in the car, we'll talk on the way." Xu Damao turned his head back.

Li Chengru hurriedly ran to the passenger side, opened the car door, and got in. As soon as he sat down and closed the door, a bottle of water was handed to him.

"Are you thirsty? Here, have a drink of water first."

Li Chengru was genuinely thirsty; he had already finished the cool boiled water he had filled his thermos before leaving, but it was just too hot here.

"Glug glug glug, this water is so cool! It's refreshing in your car too!" Li Chengru exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Damao just smiled and didn't answer, instead asking, "Alright, we've had our water and are feeling better, let's get down to business."

"Oh, okay!" Li Chengru was clearly not yet used to Xu Damao's rhythm.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

"Get sponsorship!" Li Chengru's voice lowered a few decibels. These days, asking for favors feels beneath you. He'd been running around with the film crew for so long that he was finally capable of asking for money, but getting funding was truly a challenge.
"What, the film crew isn't getting paid?"

"Give it."

"Then what kind of sponsorship are you getting?"

"Our equipment is terrible. Director Yang, the director of 'Journey to the West,' is so worried that her hair is falling out in clumps. We have to use makeshift methods." Li Chengru began to complain.

Xu Damao lit a cigarette, then handed one to Li Chengru and lit it for him as well, and just listened.

"You've been talking for so long without getting to the point. What kind of sponsorship do you offer? What do you need? And do you have any precedents for foreign companies sponsoring you?"

"Li Chengru is dumbfounded again; he really can't answer this question."

"Dude, you came all this way without even understanding anything. Isn't that a wasted trip?" Xu Damao laughed.

"Can I ask you if you've agreed to sponsor me?"

"You've come to the wrong person about the sponsorship. I only handle business matters. I need to ask around for you, but you'll have to find out about the procedures yourself."

"Thank you, thank you!" Li Chengru said gratefully, even though he didn't get the answer he wanted.

"Come on, man, it's not easy to meet a fellow villager. I'll treat you to a good meal today."

"How could I possibly accept that!" Li Chengru refused verbally, but his face showed his longing.

"Alright, listen to me today. After you finish eating, go call and ask. I'll ask for you too, whether you want to go or not?"

“Go! It would be foolish not to go when someone invites you!” Li Chengru said.

"Let's go!" Xu Damao stepped on the gas and drove towards the best seafood restaurant in the special economic zone.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Xu Damao found a seat and said he was going to order. He then called He Yuxin.

"Yuxin, [Seafood Restaurant], want to come over and have some food together?"

"Brother Da Mao, what time is it? I'm busy."

"You won't be in a hurry. I've met an interesting person here. Want to chat?"

"Where did it come from?"

"In Beijing, you know, they're filming TV dramas. The guy you're talking to is a fellow actor. How about it, interested?"

"Okay, you order first, I'll be there in a bit." He Yuxin thought about what was going on today and figured she could still find time for a meal, so she said.

"Got it!"

Xu Damao doesn't just order expensive dishes. He was raised by the He family father and son, so he only orders delicious food. He also tells them to cook the famous dishes in the He family restaurant. Of course, if the chef here doesn't know how to cook it, he will change the dishes.

When the dishes started to be served, Li Chengru was shocked again. He knew all too well the prices of this kind of restaurant; he had inquired about them.

Before two dishes had been served, He Yuxin arrived.

"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is our big boss. If you want sponsorship, go to him!" Xu Damao said, winking at He Yuxin.

He Yuxin could tell that his brother Da Mao was up to something again, but he still replied, "I'm just an employee too, but you can talk to me first."

Li Chengru's heart sank when he heard the first half of the sentence, but his eyes lit up when he heard the second half.

(End of this chapter)