Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 99 The Loss Is Public

By mid-June, Gonghe Village was even more bustling.

The work uniforms of seven or eight companies, including China Road and Bridge Corporation First Highway Engineering Bureau, Chongqing Expressway Southeast Branch, Railway Second Survey and Design Institute, and Chongqing Yucai Supervision, appeared on the construction site in a colorful array.

A group of people stood around the approach bridge construction area.

"Mr. Chen, our approach bridge construction will begin on October 15th, and a lot of equipment will be coming over. Your maintenance work must be completed before October 10th."

Project manager Zhang Manhua smiled, but his tone was somewhat solemn.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. The teams I arranged in advance have already entered the site. The beginning and end have started construction, and the middle section will start soon. The main reason is that there was a lot of rain recently, and the ground was damp, which was not good for the quality of the project. The weather has been better recently, so we are working hard to catch up and we will definitely be able to finish on time."

Chen Xuebing originally planned to start construction before June. Although he was late because he didn't have the money to start construction, he would never admit it.

The stock in Shenzhen is piling up, and there are more and more mobile phone importers in Huaqiangbei, but the supply still hasn't reached the expected level of shortage. Most people are still looking for bargains, and prices simply can't be raised.

The faster they sell, the more willing manufacturers are to push inventory onto Huo Xiaowen, and the current inventory is almost 1100 million.

Of the 1100 million in inventory, only 140 million was paid out.

This 1.4 million yuan consisted of 570,000 yuan of costs that Chen Xuebing used to purchase goods for Huo Xiaowen after he emptied all his working capital in mid-April, plus 830,000 yuan that he had sent over the past two months.

Excluding sales bonuses and various expenses, Chen Xuebing earned a total of 88 yuan in the past two months. He kept 5 yuan in his own hands and gave the rest to Huo Xiaowen to play that high-leverage game.

With 140 million in cash and 1100 million in inventory, the leverage ratio is 1:8, putting immense pressure on them.

There's a current trend where stock manipulators are actively accumulating shares, while major players are also actively selling off their holdings.

You can't buy them all, you simply can't buy them all.

His small purchase will have absolutely no impact on mobile phone prices in Huaqiangbei.

The real impact on Huaqiangbei recently is that many manufacturers have begun to reduce production, and some have even stopped production after only half a month of operation.

The inventory in Huaqiangbei is gradually decreasing.

Now that the high school graduates have graduated, the summer vacation in July for current students is just around the corner.

In Chen Xuebing's view, the turning point has arrived.

For now, we just need to hold on and wait for a buying frenzy.

In addition, at the construction site...

Chen Xuebing had already spent a lot of money when he started the project. After receiving 300,000 yuan from his uncle, he gave another 80,000 yuan to the construction site. Later, he gave Lao Tan another 100,000 yuan for the first phase of the project. Although he had a lot of material and machinery costs tied up, he was able to settle the wages of the workers. As a result, the workers on the construction site became much more motivated.

Before April, the excavation was basically completed and the working face was opened. For the next two months, he stayed at the construction site personally, treating everyone to drinks and meals every night, arranging work for everyone, and making grand promises.

The progress was extremely fast over the past two months, but Chen Xuebing didn't give him a single penny.

At the end of May, the supervisor took over the project, which had generated over 820,000 yuan in output value.

The second phase of the project payment of 657,000 yuan finally arrived in the account yesterday, and Chen Xuebing only then came to Pengshui.

Before he came, he did the math. The output value since the start of the project was 200,000 for the highway, 320,000 for the first phase, and 820,000 for the second phase. Since June, he has also done a lot of output value that has not been counted, about 200,000, for a total output value of about 154 million.

He only paid out 37 yuan, and now owes the construction site 80 yuan.

Everyone at the Furong Village construction site is waiting to receive their money.

His purpose in coming here this time is not only to solve the road construction problem in Gonghe Village, but also to resolve the issue of distributing the project funds in Furong Village.

However, the bridge project team had been calling him for a long time, so when he arrived in Pengshui, he came here first.

"Mr. Chen, I heard that the teams currently working on the project were all subcontracted by you? And you even collected subcontracting fees in advance?"

Yang Feng, the executive deputy manager standing next to him, spoke up, breaking his train of thought.

Chen Xuebing snapped out of his daze, frowned, and asked seriously, "Who said that?"

Yang Feng put his hands behind his back and said, "We have a list of contracts, and I shouldn't be involved in these things. But I heard that you have another project to work on. Our project is on a tight schedule and has a lot of work to do. You've been late and have subcontracted the project to others. Those teams are also moving slowly and obviously don't have the ability to advance funds. If they work at such a slow pace, they definitely won't be able to finish on time."

Seeing that he wouldn't say anything, Chen Xuebing could only nod.

"I know, don't worry, I will finish on schedule."

The speed of completion is simply a matter of money, depending on how many excavators and workers can be deployed. He doesn't care about the gains or losses of this project.

But Yang Feng continued to nag: "President Chen, don't take this as a joke. The gantry crane, the truck crane, the 50-meter T-beam bridge erecting machine—all these machines need to be brought in. Especially the bridge erecting machine, which weighs 240 tons, and the large components that need to be disassembled weigh 80 tons each. It definitely can't go through our access road. If the equipment can't be transported in, you'll be held responsible!"

Chen Xuebing then turned around and frowned.

He didn't quite like the way Manager Yang spoke.

Although he wanted to build connections for this project, he didn't do it by simply showing weakness.

“Manager Yang, as I said, since the contract has been signed, I will complete the project on schedule. However, you asked me to build a secondary highway. You should know the load-bearing capacity. A double-axle truck with a front axle of 7 tons and a rear axle of 13 tons, or a triple-axle truck with a 45-ton load, can pass through. You are carrying 80 tons of goods, so the truck cars must weigh 10 to 20 tons, right? That adds up to over 100 tons. If the road is damaged by this weight, I will not be responsible.”

Yang Feng choked up for a moment.

Seeing this, Project Manager Zhang Manhua smiled and said, "President Chen, I see you're quite young. Trucks are bound to be overloaded. As long as you repair it according to specifications, the road won't break down all at once. We specifically built this road for transportation, so it will definitely be used by heavy vehicles. We're prepared for the road to break down. However, how long it will last, and whether it will break down right away, depends on the quality of your repairs, President Chen. If it breaks down too quickly, it'll be a good opportunity to dig it up and inspect the foundation, right?"

Zhang Manhua and Yang Feng were actually a little worried about Chen Xuebing, this young man. He had signed the contract so long ago but hadn't started working. He had also brought in a bunch of small construction teams to work slowly, acting like a subcontractor. But since it was a team recommended by the county to the command headquarters, they had to give him a warning.

Yang Feng's constant questioning today was at his behest.

Chen Xuebing, however, was not buying it and his tone became increasingly sharp: "President Zhang, I can guarantee the specifications of both the road surface and the foundation. However, since you are going to carry heavy loads and are unwilling to spend money to build a high-specification road, the service life is not my concern. If the load exceeds 120%, it is normal for it to break down on the same day."

Zhang Manhua also suffered a setback.

He knew it was normal, of course, but Chen Xuebing's words gave the impression that he was deliberately trying to cause trouble.

Even if the road surface strength is strictly tested during the acceptance process, it is impossible to measure it meter by meter. The other party would not want to deliberately create some problems with the road surface, wait for it to collapse, and then repair it to make a profit, right?

If the road is in bad shape, spending money to repair it is one thing, but delaying transportation and construction is a much bigger problem.

He suddenly realized that he shouldn't have brought up the load-bearing issue today, as it might have given the other party the wrong idea.

But now that it's been brought up, he has to face it head-on.

Warnings didn't work, so he had to change the subject.

"Your team was recommended by Secretary Lan of the county, and Secretary Lan has vouched for you. We still believe in your construction quality. However, the construction period is indeed very tight, so we have to call you here to remind you. Don't overthink it, Mr. Chen."

Secretary Lan certainly didn't make any guarantees, and it wouldn't matter whether he made guarantees or not; even if the road was in bad shape, Secretary Lan wouldn't take responsibility.

But Zhang Manhua could only remind Chen Xuebing to be mindful of the impact on Secretary Lan's behalf.

Chen Xuebing didn't care about his reminder; what he cared about was the other person's attitude.

When Zhang Manhua softened his tone, Chen Xuebing smiled.

"You should have said so earlier! When I do things, quality comes first! If you were going to have a truck weighing over a hundred tons, you should have told me in advance! I would have done my best to ensure good road conditions for you! Which side is the truck coming from?"

Zhang Manhua was a little confused by these words.

Why did your tone change so suddenly? But you still answered, "Most of our heavy equipment was transported from the Baiguodu Jialing River Bridge project and the Shaanxi Yuyan project. It travels along National Highway 319 and merges into the highway you built to reach here."

Chen Xuebing wasn't familiar with this place either. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"How about Mr. Zhang has someone bring over a local map?"

Zhang Manhua hesitated for a moment, not knowing what he was going to do, so he called to one of his men and asked him to get the map.

Local maps are definitely available, and large projects are a given.

However, those around them were somewhat stunned.

Why does this guy who does the site preparation work seem so awesome?
Our project is worth two or three hundred million, okay? How old are you? You're already directing the project manager?

Chen Xuebing gave Yang Feng a sarcastic smile:
"Manager Yang, don't be so angry. We're just laborers, but even a clay figure has some spirit, right?"

Yang Feng snorted: "You better finish your work quickly and don't affect our construction schedule, then I won't be angry at all."

Chen Xuebing glanced around and said slowly:
"Don't worry, I will definitely repair the road. However, I hope you will ask the heavy equipment to be careful when they enter the site. When you complete a project, you should build a monument. Now that the road is repaired, don't use it to your advantage. Pengshui is poor. If you can leave this 7.1-kilometer road to the local people after you leave, it will benefit many people."

Zhang Manhua and Yang Feng were both stunned for a moment, their eyes filled with a strange look.

Is this kid trying to give us value?
We're building a major highway bridge! The other side of the bridge connects to Hubei! Shouldn't the people benefit from it?
I just happened to get the county map.

Chen Xuebing opened the app, looked around, found Gonghe Village, and traced the path, tracing a spot on National Highway 319 with his finger.

Is this the place?

Yang Feng came over and took a look: "Yes."

"Our journey ends here...?" Chen Xuebing pointed to another spot.

"Yeah, almost."

"So the distance from 319 is about... three kilometers long, right?"

"Ah."

"What about the road behind? What are you transporting?"

"Heavy equipment has to come from 319, or it has to go through the Wujiang River. The last few kilometers connect to the main road, and we can bring building materials and some small items from nearby."

"Oh." Chen Xuebing looked up: "Then I'll pave this three-kilometer stretch of road with C40 concrete."

Yang Feng was taken aback and retreated tactically.

C40, that's the grade for bridge construction!

"We can't increase the budget! Every change to the budget for this project requires the approval of a high-ranking leader!"

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "You don't need to increase the budget. Also... since you're building a bridge, you should need geotextile materials, right? Could you ask your material supplier to send me some unidirectional plastic geogrids?"

Geotechnical materials are a general term for synthetic materials used in civil engineering. Their main raw materials include artificially synthesized polymers such as plastics, chemical fibers, and synthetic rubber.

This stuff became popular relatively late, but it's widely used in bridge construction. It's essential for foundation reinforcement, waterproofing, earthquake resistance, soil conservation, and slope protection, among other things. It has many uses.

The primary function of geogrids is to distribute loads and stresses, thereby improving the bearing capacity of the foundation.

When placed at a certain depth in the soil, it can form a reinforced composite foundation together with the soil.

Zhang Manhua and Yang Feng were both bridge builders and project managers, so their professional knowledge was beyond question. They knew his purpose as soon as they heard his words.

"You're going to use geogrid to pave the road?"

"Correct."

How much do you need? Three kilometers?

"The entire 7.1 kilometers needs to be paved. A 6-meter-wide road surface, paving a 5-meter-wide section would be enough, right... nearly 5 square meters?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Manhua looked up and around, then beckoned to a young man and whispered something in his ear.

He then looked at Chen Xuebing with a complicated expression.

"Mr. Chen, according to our price inquiry, the C40 is 60 yuan more expensive than the C25, and the geogrid costs 7 yuan per square meter. Are you really going to use it?"

Chen Xuebing scratched his head, turned around, and called out to Ren Ying, who was waiting in the distance, to bring her over.

"Come on, let me do the math!"

"Okay." Ren Ying was a little flustered, unsure whether to get the tools.

Chen Xuebing then began to read it aloud:

"A 6-meter-wide road surface, 0.16mm thick, 3000 meters long, 60 yuan per cubic meter, how much is the total?"

Ren Ying was no longer flustered and soon quoted a price.

"Seventeen thousand two thousand eight."

"Oh, and also, 7100 meters, 5.5 meters wide, 7 yuan... Oh, and the installation fee, 8 yuan per square meter, how much is that?"

Plastic geogrids come in rolls, which are very convenient to lay out. However, they need to be stretched and fixed every 10 meters, which takes some labor.

"Three hundred and twenty-four thousand three hundred and twenty thousand four hundred thousand."

"Well, in total."

"485,200."

Chen Xuebing nodded; it was about the same as what he had calculated.

He was good at mental arithmetic; he wasn't incapable of doing calculations, but he insisted that Ren Ying do the calculations in front of the two project managers.

Even if you lose money, you should make it public.

"About 500,000, I guess." Chen Xuebing chuckled and settled on an easy-to-remember number. "Alright, if we lose money, we lose money. Mr. Zhang, I'll build the best road for you. Please help me get geogrid. I hope this project can last another ten or twenty years after it's finished, so my work won't have been in vain."

Zhang Manhua had mixed feelings.

He didn't know if the young man was bragging.

The profit from this road is only a few hundred thousand yuan, and according to his inquiries, some of it has been subcontracted out.

Are you really willing to lose 500,000?
"Mr. Chen... what do you mean by this?"

"Didn't I just make myself clear? If we're going to fix something, we should fix the best one."

Chen Xuebing's smile was enigmatic.

At this moment, he is recalling a story.

The three small culverts lost 80,000 yuan.

(End of this chapter)