Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 345 Walking Alone
Winter has arrived in Sichuan, and daytime temperatures are only around seven or eight degrees Celsius.

In the general manager's office of the Qingyang Command Center, a brazier sat under the large desk. Chen Xuebing, wearing a thin suit jacket with a gray overcoat that Ren Ying had just bought over it, was flipping through documents.

At the other end, Bi Yaxiong and several project managers sat in front of the stove, warming themselves by the fire and talking in hushed tones. The door next to them was open, with two thick curtains hanging over it.

If there were another sand table, and without the 42-inch television on the wall, it would resemble a central command tent.

The project managers occasionally glanced at the young CEO with a hint of awe.

When they arrived, they didn't know how powerful this big boss really was; they had only heard that he was incredibly wealthy. When two brand-new Mercedes-Benz cars, each worth nearly 300 million yuan, were delivered and placed in the yard, with the chairman and general manager each owning one, and the local license plates being extremely eye-catching, the word "rich" became a tangible reality.

During this time, they also witnessed firsthand the big boss's connections—the 30 cases of Wuliangye liquor in the warehouse downstairs and the Changhong TVs in every office were all opening gifts from the parent company. If it weren't for the unstable voltage in the yard, someone would have even delivered free air conditioners.

When Mr. Kan was having dinner with them, he joked, "If this were Chongqing, when you go out for dinner, foot massage, karaoke, and hotel stays, people would be vying to treat you."

The group was getting excited. They heard there was a big project coming up in Chongqing, and they all wanted to perform well so that the big boss would choose them to go and experience it.

"President Bi," Chen Xuebing suddenly spoke up, "these four plots of land in Deyang and Mianyang are in good locations, all in the city center. Why is the local government so cooperative?"

"Oh! It was General Manager Yu who negotiated in Deyang!" Bi Yaxiong stood up and walked to Chen Xuebing's side, then whispered, "The two plots of land in Mianyang...it seems to be that General Manager Liu's."

"Oh?"

Chen Xuebing was somewhat surprised, as he had not received any calls from Liu Han during this period.

However, he soon realized that Liu Han's 400 million yuan investment in the stock market had just reaped a round of dividends, and he had earned more than 70 million yuan so far.

This is an attempt to make amends.

He put that money into a few stocks, and even if Liu Han wanted to follow suit, he wasn't confident.

"Chairman, I think it's best if we don't get involved with them anymore," Bi Yaxiong said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Uh," Chen Xuebing feigned hesitation.

Only after seeing that Bi Yaxiong still insisted did he smile.

"Of course, let's return those two plots. We want the two plots along Changhong Avenue."

"Huh?" Bi Yaxiong was surprised.

We've already got the land, why retreat?

This is land in the heart of MY, right by the Anchang River; it has a very high potential for appreciation.

Changhong Avenue, that all leads to the old city.

Chen Xuebing said with a relaxed expression, "That's right, we don't need to deal with the delayed land payment from General Manager Yu anymore. If they don't accept the money, how can they give us the land? The land transfer fee will be paid at the end of the month."

"The two plots of land in Deyang are in Jingyang, nearly 150,000 square meters, at 620 yuan per square meter, totaling 92 million yuan. The plots in Mianyang are about the same size, at 930 yuan per square meter. Even if you move them to Changhong Avenue, they'd still cost 750 yuan per square meter."

Bi Yaxiong pressed a button on the calculator on the table.

"148,000 square meters, 1.11 million yuan, that's 200 million yuan in total."

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "Go ahead and talk to them, the money will be in your account by the end of the month."

"Aren't you planning to buy land in Shanghai at the end of the month to secure a loan?" Bi Yaxiong's eyes sharpened. "This project has low profit margins; you can't afford a bridge loan!"

Cai Zhijian had told him about the headquarters relocation to Shanghai.

A few days ago, Cai Zhijian was at the command post. After receiving the news, he had a detailed conversation with him before going to Meizhou to help Wu Jiesi.

Moving to Shanghai means he will also be working there in the future, where projects have greater potential and the economy is more open, which he strongly agrees with.

Moreover, it's a great deal; you can even get a loan after buying an office building.

If this project delays things in Shanghai, it will be a loss.

If he wanted to avoid interfering with either side, the only option he could think of was a bridge loan.

Such a large sum of money is not something an ordinary bridge-bridging company can come up with; could it be that they've approached Liu?
Chen Xuebing laughed out loud: "If I really needed to borrow money, would I need a bridge loan? Go ahead and negotiate! Quickly secure the projects in the other cities. I'll ask the Chongqing leaders to put in a good word with them here. If they can't coordinate, they can contact the Construction Department. Don't be afraid to bother them. Both sides' leaders have agreed to this. Don't worry about the money. I'll go to Chongqing at the end of the month. Five or eight hundred million won't be a problem, and it's a low-interest loan with a one or two-month working capital. They might even be embarrassed to ask me for interest."

"Oh!" Bi Yaxiong's eyes lit up: "You mean the Long March!"

Chen Xuebing nodded.

So many investors in Chongqing are rushing to give him money, it's impossible to squeeze in. At the end of the month, when the dividends are distributed, those investors in Chongqing will also get several hundred million yuan. They can just ask to borrow it and that's it.

Bi Yaxiong smacked his lips, "Several hundred million? You talk about it like it's nothing."

"Where are the blueprints? Have the elevation drawings been completed?" Chen Xuebing asked again.

"It's done! I've chosen one, take a look and see if it suits you!"

Bi Yaxiong opened his desk drawer, took out a roll of blueprints, unfolded it, and spread it on the table.

"Neoclassical style! The building facade is mainly made of light beige stone, paired with a dark brown base, creating a rich color palette; the top features a pointed roof, and elements such as arched windows and decorative lines enhance the building's elegant texture!"

"Although the plot faces the street horizontally, we still built the entrance gate for the community. The gate can be designed according to the architectural style of different plots. There is a green belt in front of the building, planted with trees and shrubs, combined with roads and parking spaces, making the living atmosphere absolutely comfortable."

"Furthermore, we can allocate one to three shops on the ground floor of Huimin Square next to the community to the local public security bureau to set up a police station or public security squadron office!"

"Hmm," Chen Xuebing nodded.

Such buildings require many irregularly shaped templates at the top, but the short-term demand is large. They are produced in Chengdu and can be reused, so the quality should be relatively easy to control.

This style became more common in later generations, but in this era, it was definitely a beautiful floor.

"Could the paint on the exterior walls be a bit darker? We need to keep out dust since it's facing the street."

Bi Yaxiong shook his head: "The design of this style is still very new. We need to consider color difference and dripping in terms of texture. It uses new materials, which are more expensive than real stone paint. The production scale and variety are limited. We can only use common colors. Changing colors may lead to a long material supply cycle and poor quality stability."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I've already chosen a decorating company; it's a big brand in Shenzhen. They'll try their best to meet any requirements. Won't the terraced design and large windows increase the structural load? Can you guarantee its safety?"

"H-beams, with a yield strength greater than 345 MPa, eccentric bracing and shear walls, and only 15 stories high, have very small whiplash and end effects. If this is still not safe, then we can only switch to a pure steel structure. Even that would be too expensive, with structural costs of over 2,000 yuan per square meter. Add the facade and the land cost, and 700 yuan divided by a floor area ratio of 3.0 equals 233 yuan per square meter. If you also do high-end decoration, the cost will be at least 2,700 yuan per square meter. It's definitely a high-end residential building."

When Bi Yaxiong mentioned this, his face was full of anxiety: "I'm afraid only Chengdu and Mianyang can make money. Even Deyang can't sell for this price. If you go to Aba to build this kind of house, I don't know if you can even sell it."

Chen Xuebing laughed and said, "It's alright, you don't need to worry about the sales strategy, I'll take care of it. The real estate market should see some growth next year, and we also have subsidies from the Western Development Strategy for earthquake-resistant housing. If the Huimin Plaza is completed well, we will still get a return."

He wasn't oblivious to the financial implications, and after calming down and reflecting on things, he felt even more confident in handling the situation.

The grand strategy is almost complete. The transportation department has approved National Highway 213 and the Duwen Expressway. As long as the houses in Aba are sold and the people in Beichuan are relocated, it doesn't really matter whether the houses in other cities can be sold immediately.

The situation in most urban areas of Sichuan is not serious, so most projects are just for show. As long as all the houses built this time stand firm, the steel-shear wall technology will be widely adopted, and many people will buy into it in the future.

When the time comes, everyone will be eager to move into high-quality earthquake-resistant houses. High prices will not be a problem at all. On the contrary, it may trigger a buying frenzy. Moreover, the vacancy rate will definitely be very low. Once the houses are full, the supporting Gu'an Huimin Plaza will be bustling with activity, and the ground floor shops will have business to do. Whether it is sold in bulk or rented, the prices will be very high.

He only wants to subsidize properties in a small number of areas, and there's also the short-term problem of poor cash flow caused by maintaining high prices.

With the stock market supporting him next year, he's not afraid. (Beichuan)
He frowned and stood up.

"The land parcels should be laid out as centrally as possible, in accordance with our 'satellite new town' concept, to ensure sufficient foot traffic to Huimin Square from the surrounding community clusters."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Bi Yaxiong quickly said, "We've considered it, but the houses still need to be sold! Chairman, where are you going? I'll have someone take you!"

"No need, give me the car keys, I'll go out for a drive myself."

Chengdu—Mianyang—Beichuan.

All the way.

The Chengdu-Mianyang Expressway is easy to travel, taking less than two hours to cross cities. However, the 60-kilometer road from Mianyang to Beichuan is winding through mountains and took nearly an hour and a half.

It was already dark when we arrived.

Chen Xuebing stopped halfway up the mountain on the county road and took a picture.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, it is the Longmenshan Fault Zone, formed by the compression of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau into the Sichuan Basin millions of years ago.

The county town is located in a low-lying area, and almost all of its buildings are brick-concrete structures.

After taking the photos, the car drove down the winding road and into the city.

After crossing the bridge, there is the Beichuan Hotel.

Seeing that it looked like the best hotel in the county, Chen Xuebing went in, checked in, and then came out and walked towards the wide road.

China Mobile's large red sign wishing new and old customers a Happy New Year in 2006 has not yet been taken down.

Next to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, there were guesthouses all over the street, and the utility poles with complicated wiring were covered with advertisements. Some cars were parked randomly on the side of the road, and the elderly and children strolled leisurely in the middle of the main road. Chen Xuebing did not honk his horn and followed behind slowly.

The people in front noticed the brand-new Mercedes behind them, shooed the children to the side of the road, and then stopped to observe it with curiosity.

Huaxing Hotel, Huaxing Supermarket
Huaxing Appliances is having a promotion, offering 95% off Haier, Changhong, and Skyworth appliances. The large, slicked-back TVs inside even look a bit blurry from the side.

A stage was set up outside for an event, and a group of people in ethnic minority costumes were dancing on the stage. Chen Xuebing parked his car and ordered a small pot at the "Milin Maoduwang Hot Pot" restaurant next door, adding a portion of tripe. He ate and watched the event.

He used to find dances utterly boring, but now he watched them with great interest.

Since entering the city, he felt as if time had slowed down, and he remembered many of the names of the shops on the street and the leisurely yet boring scenes.

Life here is actually quite nice; there are mountains and rivers, and the pace of life is very slow.

Perhaps this place is no different from many other towns he has visited, but in his eyes, the tranquility, which seems to be counting down, has become very precious.

After finishing his meal, Chen Xuebing asked the restaurant owner where the most lively place in the county town was at night.

"Out-of-towner? Well, you've come to the right place! There's a square in front of the county government building. They're celebrating the Winter Solstice today with Guozhuang dance! Hurry up, it's about to start!"

The boss was very enthusiastic and urged him to leave.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuebing immediately asked for directions and drove to the county government.

From afar, I could see the crowd, layer upon layer, it was quite lively.

The people inside were all dressed in ethnic costumes. Several men each held a wooden pole and were lighting a small fire together to form a bonfire.

Within minutes, more and more people came from all directions, brought wooden poles, lit them, and gathered them in the middle, making the fire grow bigger and bigger.

A group of people dressed like priests swirled around a bonfire, the copper bells at their waists jingling with their dance steps, and the rhythm of the sheepskin drums making one's feet go numb.

Men and women dressed in red and blue rushed into the middle and began to dance. The crisp sound of silver ornaments clashing together with the deep singing voices. People around them clapped and stomped their feet to the rhythm, making the ground tremble slightly.

The crowd suddenly began to move.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

Chen Xuebing was just getting closer to watch the excitement when he suddenly started spinning around.

He couldn't jump either, and got kicked twice by the person behind him.

The group of kids behind them burst into laughter: "If you can't jump, then come out and do it!"

Just as Chen Xuebing was about to leave, a little girl wearing a bamboo hat grabbed him and said enthusiastically, "Brother, don't go! I'll teach you!"

The silver bracelet on her wrist jingled with her movements, and the embroidered sun pattern on her dress gleamed warmly in the firelight.

Chen Xuebing came here to find inspiration, and without any shyness, he turned his head to watch other people's movements and started jumping along.

The uncles and aunties around him smiled kindly and cheered him on in Qiang language from time to time.

As they danced, they became more familiar with each other, and the group started singing a difficult song together. Their voices were deep and resonant, echoing through the mountains.

Chen Xuebing also struck up a conversation with the little girl.

"Is this the Guozhuang dance?"

"Huh? You know? Where are you from?"

"Chongqing! These little kids can all dance this dance?"

Chen Xuebing watched as many children, dressed in ethnic costumes, joined the dance and danced quite well.

"Yes! This is the Lao Guozhuang dance! We have competitions every year! Competitions for the county anniversary, competitions for the Qiang New Year! Our kids even do it during recess and PE class!"

Chen Xuebing's heart skipped a beat: "Oh, so they all have these kinds of clothes?"

"Yes! You want to buy it? They're everywhere on the street!"

Which factory produced it?

"There are no factories! It's all done by embroiderers! We embroider in our own homes and then display and sell them!"

"Oh, how many embroiderers are there in your county?"

“There are plenty!” The little girl counted on her fingers. “My mom, my great-aunt, and my third aunt all know a little bit! If you want to buy something nice, I’ll take you to my aunt’s house!”

Her smile beneath her hat held a hint of slyness.

"Great! Well embroidered! I'll buy more!"

A smile gradually appeared on Chen Xuebing's face, and he relaxed his movements, dancing freely with the group.

(End of this chapter)