Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 137 Who's taking whose money?
The next day, noon.

A white Cadillac CTS slowly drove into the college.

Chen Xuebing sat in the passenger seat, one hand raised to grip the armrest tightly, the other holding a mobile phone to talk to his uncle.

“I’ll value the Taohuaxi project at 300 million yuan. Once my settlement is complete, I’ll put the money directly into the Long March Fund for you to operate.”

"I've done a rough investigation into the dredging issue. The entire Taohuaxi River is still heavily polluted by industry, agriculture, and garbage. It's also the mother river of CS District, supplying water to half of the district's population. In just one month, there have been over 200 complaints about the pollution of Taohuaxi River."

"Yes, the city started supervising this matter two years ago, but it hasn't been effective."

“This project for the people’s livelihood happens to have a relevant plan. I would like to have someone take Dean Zhang to see the river and come up with a plan for dredging, cleaning up debris, and upgrading the rainwater pipe network. The water conservancy department only needs the water investment company to send a streamlined project team. I guarantee that the government’s expenditure and the river sand fees I pay will be kept within the balance line.”

"In other words, the government doesn't need to spend a single penny or make any budget. I will extract sand within a reasonable range to ensure that the river surface is clean and that the data from several water quality monitoring sections all meet the standards. Within a year, the water quality problem of Taohuaxi will be removed from the list."

"The price is absolutely reasonable, far below the current water conservancy quota. The dredging design will not affect the downstream area at all, but will actually be beneficial. It is designed by Dean Zhang himself, so it is absolutely guaranteed. We will only extract sand where dredging is needed, and the water conservancy department can send people to supervise this on-site."

“I don’t make a huge profit from this project; I just want it to be fast. I control the progress myself, and I get paid immediately for the sand. The project is fast, and the payment comes in quickly. I’ll give you 10% of the total project cost; how you use it is up to you.”

"Okay, could you talk to the leader for me first? If the leader is interested, I'll take Dean Zhang to visit him. If he doesn't agree, that's fine too."

"Okay, I'll wait for your news."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xuebing stared ahead, lost in thought.

We've finally reached this point.

If the government has no demand, then actively create demand for the government.

Pacific Construction is able to secure so many projects every year thanks to this strategy.

They invented the BT (Build-Transfer) model, which involves large-scale upfront financing to help the government undertake the infrastructure construction of the entire city, and even help the government develop new cities, allowing the government to pay in installments, thus using absolute scale to exclude all competitors.

Chen Xuebing doesn't yet have the capability to take this path.

He can only use his brain to study relevant policies.

The water environment problem was removed from the list without costing any money, which is a win-win situation.

In fact, if the government were to auction off the sand mining rights for the Taohuaxi River as a whole, the revenue would be several times higher than the project cost. However, the Yangtze River Commission issued a "Notice on Sand Mining Permits" two years ago, temporarily prohibiting sand mining on several upstream tributaries, effectively cutting off this route.

Sand mining is prohibited, but dredging is not under the jurisdiction of the Yangtze River Commission.

But the dredging project costs money.

He used a dredging model to extract sand from some silted river sections, promising the water conservancy department would take care of the water environment issues without requiring the government to pay. This was essentially opening a reasonable loophole for the government to sell some of the sand extraction rights to solve environmental problems.

The remaining issue is document compliance.

Chen Xuebing thought about it and smiled slightly.

Civil engineering is his forte, so he's very familiar with it and has endless inspiration.

The car suddenly stopped.

Chen Xuebing snapped out of his daze and quickly gripped the handrail tightly again.

"Damn it, what kind of junk is this? It keeps jerking around!" he couldn't help but curse.

He had been through enough frights on his way from the company.

Hu Li, who was next to her, slapped the steering wheel in annoyance.

"Cadillac! The official car of the US president! So stylish! A 3.6L engine, over 50 yuan!"

Chen Xuebing was speechless: "If the US president's car was driven like this, the driver would have been taken away and robbed! You're a complete novice, you bought a new car and should find a playground to practice properly, why did you have to drive to pick me up?"

Hu Li immediately looked aggrieved.

"Brother, my life and fortune are tied to you. It's 500 million! My dad invested it for me. If you lose it, I won't have any pocket money for the rest of my college years. I'm already on your side, so what's wrong with you getting on my bus?"

"My boat is very crowded. I didn't force you. If you don't want to get on, then get off. There's parking at the administration building ahead. I'm very busy and can't keep you company."

Once inside the school, Chen Xuebing unbuckled his seatbelt and prepared to get out of the car.

Hu Li quickly pressed his hand down.

"Hey, how big of a deal is considered big? I hardly ever see you these days! I even had to send out the group orders for you this week, bro~ can you keep me company? I'm practicing driving alone... I'm scared!"

As he spoke, Chen Xuebing spotted several cars parked not far away, including a red Ferrari, the very same one he had seen on the day he enrolled. A group of men and women were standing next to the car, looking in their direction.

He leaned back down, a strange smile on his face.

"When did you get involved with those people? I have no interest in associating with them."

"Tsk, they're just kids, not their dads. I'm here to help you drum up business! Alright, alright, stop talking. If they hear this, they'll have to back me up!"

As Hu Li spoke, she pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car.

It was parked crookedly, and the key wasn't removed.

Chen Xuebing sighed, got out of the car, got back into the driver's seat, helped her park the car, and removed the keys.

Hu Li stood next to the group of people, watching Chen Xuebing's smooth side-step, and was extremely excited.

"Brother, you're amazing!"

Chen Xuebing didn't want to offend Hu Li, nor did he want to play with these young masters and mistresses.

But if he could actually secure a few million in investment, he wouldn't mind taking a little longer.

He approached under the scrutiny of a group of people and tossed the keys to Hu Li.

"Don't drive in school with your skills, it's very dangerous for others."

As Chen Xuebing spoke, he glanced at the distinguished Ferrari owner.

He still vividly remembers the day he accidentally hit the stone ball.

I want to laugh a little bit.

The man looked different from that day; his long hair was tied into a small braid, and he had taken off his sunglasses. Chen Xuebing vaguely remembered that Liu Kang, who picked him up, had said that the man's surname was Xu.

Hu Li rolled her eyes and stepped forward to introduce him: "Brother, this is our senior Xu, Xu Yunfeng! Senior Xu, this is the one I told you about..."

"It's you?" Xu Yunfeng recognized him.

"You two know each other?" Hu Li asked, somewhat surprised.

Chen Xuebing nodded slightly.

"Is Senior Xu's car fixed? But please drive carefully."

He brought up the matter on his own initiative, already prepared for an unpleasant ending.

A boy next to him also recalled that he had met this person on the day of registration, and his expression turned somewhat unfriendly when he remembered the insult he had hurled at him, "rushing to go to the grave."

Three seconds later, Xu Yunfeng smiled, raised his hand, and walked over: "President Chen! What a coincidence! My name is Xu Yunfeng!"

When Chen Xuebing saw that he wanted to shake hands with him and even called him General Manager Chen, he was a little surprised. He slowly raised his hand and shook hands with him.

After letting go, Xu Yunfeng smoothly pulled out a business card and handed it over.

"I heard from Hu Li that you run a large fund! An Audi A6 doesn't suit your status. I opened a shop in Jiangbei that deals in imported cars and vehicle modifications. We can customize many new imported models from major brands, and we also offer one-stop modification services. Would you like to consider it?"

Chen Xuebing was a little confused and looked down at the business card in his hand.

Fengyao Luxury Car Center. "We can modify interiors and exteriors, powertrains, chassis and suspension, and also offer repair and maintenance, car detailing, and other services. Mr. Chen, do you have a business card?"

Is your company newly established? Do you have a car service plan?

Xu Yunfeng asked another question before stopping.

In that instant, Chen Xuebing felt like he was being served a complete package of services.

Wow, are the rich kids these days really this driven?
He remembered that Hu Li had just said she would help him get business.

Whose business are they actually pulling?
This industry is a fucking deep mess.

"Uh, Senior Xu, I'm sorry, there's no such plan at the moment."

He realized that the other person's address of "President Chen" was not for nothing, so he quickly called him "senior" to restore their pure alumni relationship.

"It's alright." Xu Yunfeng's smile became even more friendly: "I know that you business owners in finance are not short of money, but we are all alumni, so I will definitely give you the discounts you are entitled to. If you need anything, just contact me as soon as possible. I am usually at the school, so I can also come to your company to discuss it. It's very convenient for me... Has President Chen eaten? How about we have a meal together and talk over a meal?"

What a powerful dragon!

At this moment, Chen Xuebing's initial impression of Xu Yunfeng completely changed; the other party's experienced salesman image was deeply imprinted in his mind.

Before he could refuse, Hu Li had already started making a fuss.

"Senior Xu, why are you treating me differently? My car isn't bad either, why won't you treat me to a meal? Aren't I your potential customer?"

Xu Yunfeng turned his head and smiled: "You're not a potential customer, but with your driving skills, it won't be long before you become one."

Hu Li's face darkened.

Everyone around was laughing.

Chen Xuebing couldn't help but chuckle, and he deeply felt that he, as the boss, seemed to have been a bit too irresponsible.

Look at people.

Tsk tsk.

He can't stand seeing someone work harder than him.

"Mr. Xu, since you've put it that way, shall we go to your store and take a look? But let me make it clear first, I might not necessarily buy anything."

Chen Xuebing's "may not buy" means "definitely will not buy".

Now that his competitive spirit has been ignited, he has the idea of ​​taking two million back from the other party's pocket and plans to test the other party's strength first.

Xu Yunfeng's smile remained unchanged.

"That's great! Don't worry, Mr. Chen, my discounts will definitely tempt you. Come on, get in my car. Hu Li isn't a very safe driver."

"No, I want to go too!" Hu Li immediately objected.

Chen Xuebing took the keys back from Hu Li.

"Then I'll drive Hu Li's car."

"Okay, I'll drive in front, Mr. Chen, you follow me."

The two were incredibly efficient; they got in the car and left, leaving the rest of the group behind, stunned.

Some people lamented.

"Damn, Brother Feng doesn't care about people when it comes to business. We agreed to have lunch together at the newly opened Junhao Hotel."

"Hey, you can make tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan a car, what's Feng doing it for?"

“Hmm…” The alluring woman who got out of the passenger seat of Xu Yunfeng sighed: “I heard him arguing with his dad on the phone. His dad wants to close his shop and make him work at the family branch. He’s just being stubborn with his dad and is determined to improve the shop’s performance.”

A curious person nearby asked, "Niao Niao, aren't you coming along?"

The girl's expression changed, but she didn't say anything.

……

Inside the Cadillac.

Hu Li noticed that Chen Xuebing's gaze was off and quickly explained.

"Don't get me wrong! We're on the same side! I'm really trying to get you business. I heard from them that Xu Yunfeng's family is really rich, and they own a tech company!"

What kind of tech company?

"Hmm... I heard from Lian Hu that it seems to be a battery!"

"Oh?" Chen Xuebing then turned his head slightly: "Which type of battery?"

"How would I know?"

Chen Xuebing prompted, "Zinc battery? Nickel battery? Lead-acid? Or... lithium battery?"

"really do not know!"

Has it gone public?

If it goes public, there are only a handful of battery manufacturers, you could count them on two hands. He's been paying attention to the battery industry since his rebirth, and he knows the name just by mentioning it.

"There aren't that many listed companies. There are only 1300 nationwide! Most of them are state-owned enterprises! You're so interested, how about... I ask around for you later?"

The little fox revealed its cunning eyes again, observing Chen Xuebing.

Chen Xuebing thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Never mind."

The chances are slim.

These days, the wealthy battery manufacturers in China are mostly producing lead-acid and zinc-manganese batteries, or they're just hyping up some dubious concepts to attract investment. The lithium battery industry is monopolized by Japan and South Korea, and there are practically none in China.

This year's first national lithium battery industry conference had only about a hundred attendees, but it already included major domestic lithium battery material companies.

Lithium batteries have unparalleled high energy density and cycle life compared to other batteries, and they do not have a memory effect. Unlike nickel-cadmium batteries, they do not require full charging and use until they are completely discharged to maintain maximum performance.

Looking back at the history of mobile phone development, the battery has always been a bottleneck. As screens get bigger and functions increase, battery life will decrease significantly. He had talked to Qi Guangming about some ideas for large-screen phones, and the first thing Qi Guangming raised was the battery issue.

With current battery technology, battery capacity is still largely determined by size. To achieve both high power consumption and long battery life, the mainstream solutions are either the bulky, brick-like phones typical of Huaqiangbei (a major electronics market in Shenzhen), or users have to carry multiple spare batteries.

But the phone he wants definitely has a non-removable, integrated battery. This was one of the revolutionary features of Apple's first generation and is also the future trend, something he absolutely wants to capitalize on.

The size should not be too large.

There are quite a few problems to solve.

However, he believes that Apple is also facing this problem now. The main components of Apple's first generation were also cobbled together, and none of them were better than the others. The key is to find the next path for innovation.

In this regard, China's future development is rapid, and Chen Xuebing really wants to support domestic products.

Currently, there is only one company in China with relatively mature related technologies – CITIC Guoan Mengguli (MGL).

The lithium cobalt oxide batteries they developed are suitable for small mobile electronic products, but they still lag behind those from Sony, Toshiba, Samsung SDI, and others.

"We're here! He's parked! The one!"

Chen Xuebing looked ahead and exclaimed "Oh!"

"Mr. Xu's business empire is quite large."

(End of this chapter)