1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 470 Take your hand away
When commerce reaches a certain level, politics will inevitably follow.

After spending half an hour farming in the jungle and accumulating enough gold for a full build, you can't just stay away from the base all the time, right?

Zhai Yuan instructed Li Zhi to first notify Zhu Yanping and tell them to stand by.

He then got into the car and called out to Weixing, "Brother Xing, take me to Queen's Road East."

At that time, under British rule in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Office did not have a formal institution.

Foreign affairs services can be handled through two channels: one is through Chinese-funded institutions such as China Travel Service, Bank of China, and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles; the other is through Xinhua News Agency at 381 Queen's Road East, which Zhai Yuan was heading to at that time.

News agencies are divided into "small Xinhua" and "large Xinhua." The smaller one is a news organization, while the larger one specializes in foreign affairs.

While in the car, Zhai Yuan rested his head on Li Zhi's lap, listening to her make a phone call to inform Zhu Yanping. He went through the whole thing about Taiwan in his mind again, thinking about how to communicate later, without even noticing that the car had slowly stopped in front of a building.

"Mr. Zhai, we've arrived."

Lizhi gently nudged Zhai Yuan, who was pretending to be asleep, and gave him a reminder.

Zhai Yuan opened his eyes, glanced at the building outside the window, and nodded in response: "You don't need to go up. Wait for me in the car."

Just as he was about to get out of the car, Zhai Yuan turned back to Li Zhi and said, "Have a paparazzi from the newspaper come over and take a picture of me when I come out. No need to make a fuss."

……

Several China Travel vehicles were parked downstairs.

A middle-aged man in a white shirt was smoking by the revolving door. When he saw Zhai Yuan appear, he went up to him with a slight smile on his face.

"Xiao Zhai is here."

"Deputy Director Li, we meet again."

The last time I saw this influential person was when Baiwu and Li Junxia fell out. At that time, he looked stern and serious, but this time he seemed much more easygoing.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Deputy Director Li patted Zhai Yuan on the back and said warmly, "Don't stand here, let's go upstairs and talk. Haven't eaten yet? A few friends have come over, let's grab something to eat together."

After going up to the ninth floor and turning a corner, Zhai Yuan was led into a reception room with a handwritten sign above the door that read "VIP Reception and Dining Area".

Deputy Director Li pulled Zhai Yuan into the room.

A quick glance revealed that the room's ceiling was fitted with old-fashioned ceiling lights with yellowish shades. A traditional Chinese ink painting hung on the white wall of the square private room, and in the center was a round table covered with a glass dome, with old-fashioned high-backed wooden chairs around it.

Seated around the round table were several middle-aged men dressed as leaders in Zhongshan suits.

They were talking quietly with cigarettes between their fingers when the door opened, and all of them turned to look at them.

"Well, I just went downstairs to pick someone up, and you've already made this place smoky and smelly."

Deputy Director Li's hearty laughter broke the brief silence, and he casually put his arm around Zhai Yuan, introducing him: "This is Comrade Zhai, everyone knows him, right? Zhai, let me introduce you..."

Including Deputy Director Li, there were a total of seven influential figures sitting around the table. Among them, three were from the Taiwan Affairs Group, one was a military officer from the United Front Department, and the remaining two were an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the director of the investment promotion department.

They shook hands and introduced each other, and the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.

Zhai Yuan was not intimidated by the situation and chatted and laughed with ease.

Inevitably, influential figures would first praise the 91 Entertainment Group, calling it Hong Kong's cultural cavalry, and so on.

Occasionally, someone would serve the dishes.

It features dishes from both the north and south of China, and while not extravagant or ostentatious, it still exudes a restrained elegance.

The eight people ate and chatted around a round table, discussing all sorts of topics.

When the first round of chopsticks were put down.

One of the leaders of the Taiwan Affairs Task Force coughed lightly and said, "Xiao Zhai, you went to Taiwan last month, right? How was it?"

The atmosphere in the room fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at Zhai Yuan.

"pretty good."

Zhai Yuan looked up and smiled at the other person, knowing that this was about to get down to business, so he took the initiative and asked, "TSMC is thinking of making a $50 billion investment plan, right? Since the leaders are here, I'd like to ask what our thoughts are?"

Regarding this issue, influential figures cited a directive from a top leader.

"If two or three more companies like TSMC were to join, things across the Taiwan Strait would be much easier."

Zhai Yuan nodded, confirming that it was exactly as he had thought; there was no reason to refuse such a thing.

He picked up the Maotai on the table, took a sip, and smacked his lips: "A $50 billion project, any mishap by any party would be a big problem. When I went to Taiwan this time, I heard that the new island leader wants to promote Hao Bocun to the top. This guy is a counter-offensive faction. I'm afraid that if we prepare to welcome him with open arms, TSMC will back down at the last minute."

The leader nodded and then said, "We know that the new island leader is indeed close to Hau Pei-tsun. But Xiao Zhai, you may not understand the situation. At most, he can remove the 'acting' from the title of Acting Minister of National Defense. In the end, he is still a member of the military. How can he interfere in politics and business?"

Zhai Yuan was silent for a moment, thinking to himself, "Hey, you guessed right!" But he still had to continue hinting, "What if he gets into the Executive Yuan again..."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

"How could that be! He's neither Eisenhower, nor is Taiwan the United States!"

"Taiwan will not allow him into the cabinet; the impact would be too great."

"Xiao Zhai is still young!"

"Right? Hey! I don't understand!" Zhai Yuan chuckled, picked up his wine glass and said, "Come on, let's drink!"

In fact, Masao Iwasato's brilliance lies in using a single premier to successively eliminate three bigwigs of the KMT.

In a true sense, one peach can kill three warriors.

But for now, we can only scratch the surface and not discuss it in detail.

"Xiao Zhai, is there any difficulty here at Shenshan?"

Deputy Director Li noticed Zhai Yuan's hesitation and took the initiative to ask him.

Zhai Yuan licked the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, shook his head and said, "If Jinling City can develop, Shenshan can also grow bigger and stronger. Of course, I hope this project will be implemented."

Deputy Director Li slapped his thigh and said, "Great! That's enough!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, and their smiles eased somewhat.

Then, a key figure from the investment promotion department said, "It's like this: Sun Zhongmou came to Yanjing City at the end of October this year to discuss this matter. The higher-ups attach great importance to it, so they call this project the '881 Plan.' If this plan is successfully implemented, in accordance with the usual practice of foreign investment cooperation, we have drafted an initial shareholding plan. Xiao Zhai, listen to it and see if there are any points you are not satisfied with."

Zhai Yuan poured himself another glass of wine, smiled and nodded at his excited leader, "Great!"

Although there was a suspicion of opening champagne halfway through, the allocation given by the investment promotion department was reasonable.

Formosa Plastics, TSMC, and UMC contributed both capital and personnel, holding 30-40% of the shares. Jinling City provided land and supporting facilities, holding 35-45% of the shares. Local state-owned enterprises provided supporting services such as water, electricity, and environmental protection, holding 10-15% of the shares. Zhai Yuan's Shenshan Semiconductor, as a technology joint venture partner, held 15-20% of the shares.

It is basically a team led and controlled by the local government, with TSMC and Shenshan Pharmaceutical Holdings Co., Ltd. actually participating in management and decision-making.

"Another issue is land. We have discussed with Sun Zhongmou that Nanjing City can provide 3000 hectares of land for the development of the '881 Project,' with a symbolic land tax of 5 yuan per square meter and a usage period of 70 years."

A key figure in the investment promotion department stated, "These lands are jointly owned by the Taiwanese investors and your Shenshan project. The lease can be renewed upon expiration, and we will prioritize approvals, arrangements, and guarantees..." After the investment promotion team finished speaking, it was the turn of the academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences: "We've also considered the two major bottlenecks of hydropower. As long as the Taiwanese investment of 5 billion comes in, we can lay a dedicated water pipeline, including the purification pond, recycled water, and cooling system. As for electricity, the thermal power plant and substation will be completed within three months, with a 110kV dual-circuit supply to the plant gate. Your Shenshan project costs 80 cents per kilowatt-hour in Japan; we'll provide three lines for 18 cents each, enough for three shifts!"

For the next half hour, Zhai Yuan just kept responding with "uh-huh" and "ah-ah".

The leaders also expressed their opinions, clearly regarding the '881 Plan' as a top priority, and offered various preferential conditions.

Deputy Director Li concluded by saying, "In short, as long as you come, starting production at any point will not be a problem!"

Looking at the energetic and excited people among the influential figures, Zhai Yuan felt a little wistful.

These days are indeed not easy.

In 1979, Liao wrote a letter to the head of the tourism department, saying: "Comrade Xuzhang, so far, no deal has been reached with any tourism business in Guangfu. This is not good. Can Lei Yingdong of Guangfu do everything he can to reach a deal and start construction this year?"
Later, Lei Yingdong invested HK$2 million in mainland China for the first time, building the 32-story White Swan Hotel on the shore of White Goose Lake.

Now we have $50 billion in foreign exchange in front of us. Even if we know it's a trap, we have to try jumping in.

Besides, nobody considers this a trap right now.

"no problem."

Zhai Yuan picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp. He then burped and laughed, "We're all family. I didn't originally intend to leave the company in Japan. We're ready to be deployed here in Shenshan at any time."

Deputy Director Li slapped his thigh again: "Well said! The leader said that if two or three more companies like TSMC came, things across the Taiwan Strait would be much easier. I think if we had two more entrepreneurs like Xiao Zhai, the Hong Kong issue would be much easier to resolve too!"

"Now we'll see what the situation is like on the other side of Taiwan."

"You can rest assured about that. Our Taiwan task force will communicate with the other side and will notify you as soon as there is any news."

"Xiao Zhai, our biggest problem right now is that foreign capital can't come in, so this is not only an investment, but also a boost of confidence..."

……

Meeting adjourned.

He left his seat.

Accompanied by influential figures, Zhai Yuan walked out of the building and shook hands in farewell.

Across the street, a paparazzi from the September 1st Daily News snapped a photo in a van, capturing the scene on film.

Back in his car, Zhai Yuan waved goodbye to the leaders through the window.

The car drove away.

Inside the car, Lizhi once again became Zhai Yuan's human cushion and pillow. Smelling the strong smell of alcohol on him, she frowned and said, "Why did you drink so much?"

"Did you take the photos?"

Zhai Yuan exhaled a breath reeking of alcohol, took Li Zhi's small hand, and gestured for her to massage his throbbing head.

Toshie used one hand to call the paparazzi and asked, then nodded and said, "They've all been photographed."

"Hmm." Zhai Yuan squinted and changed his position. Originally, he was resting his head on Li Zhi's thigh, but now he was lying on his side with his whole face close to her lower abdomen.

Secretary Li blushed slightly, glanced at the satellite in the front row holding the steering wheel, and reached out to pull up the partition curtain.

"Have the paparazzi send the photos back to the press."

Zhai Yuan rubbed his face against Li Zhi's lower abdomen, feeling a softness through the thin shirt.

He continued in a deep voice, "Those who just escorted me out are all influential figures from the mainland. A quick check will reveal their identities. In Hong Kong, we'll have Pan Yongqiang write the article, and in Taiwan, we'll have Ye Yijian. Tomorrow, the September 1st Daily will publish this news on both sides, along with photos, directing all the discussion towards the $5 billion investment plan involving Shenshan, TSMC, and Nanjing City..."

"Oh." Lizhi responded obediently, noticing the man's hot breath seeping through the fabric, she unconsciously sucked in her lower abdomen, and her massage movements slowed down a bit.

Seeing Zhai Yuan's drunken state, Li Zhi asked again, "Since you're this drunk, Zhu Yanping and the others won't be waiting for you today, right?"

Zhai Yuan mumbled an "Mmm": "Tomorrow, I'm tired."

Li Zhi stroked Zhai Yuan's hair and asked, "Should I have Xing Ge take you home to rest?"

"Brother Xing!" Zhai Yuan took a breath and raised his voice to call out.

Through the curtain, the satellite said, "What!"

Zhai Yuan: "Let's go to the Peninsula Hotel."

Satellite: "Received~"

Zhai Yuan nestled into Li Zhi's arms again, wrapping his arms around her waist: "I'm staying at a hotel tonight, and I'm a little scared to be alone. Could you take care of me?"

…………

In a luxury suite at the Peninsula Hotel.

Li Zhi helped Zhai Yuan into the room.

As soon as he entered the room, Zhai Yuan turned around, closed the door, locked it from the inside with the key, and put the item in his pocket.

Lizhi's expression immediately became somewhat unnatural, and she stammered, "I have to go back."

Bian Xuedao shook his head, leaning against the door frame, and said, "No, I drank too much today. I heard that some people choke to death if they vomit while asleep. You have to take care of me."

Lizhi said helplessly, "Then should I call Huimin or Aqing to come over?"

“How could a young girl know how to take care of people?” Zhai Yuan shook his head and said, holding out his hand, “Give me the phone.”

When Lizhi saw that he was about to make a phone call, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took it out of her bag and handed it to him.

Immediately, Zhai Yuan took the phone from her, opened the back cover, pried out the battery, and put it in his pocket.

Then he casually tossed the empty phone aside, grabbed Lizhi's wrist, and led her into the bedroom.

Arriving at the large bed, to Li Zhi's surprise, Zhai Yuan pressed down on her shoulder and leaned against her.

The two of them fell heavily onto the bed.

"Rest for a bit, don't move~"

Zhai Yuan pressed his entire body against Li Zhi, feeling the elasticity of her flesh, his heavy breaths hitting the woman's neck.

Lizhi frowned slightly, bit her red lips, and her face grew hotter and hotter.

She felt a hand pressing on her thigh, moving up her stockings, and then slipping inside her pencil skirt, lingering there.

Lizhi shuddered, unconsciously clenching her legs together and grabbing Zhai Yuan's mischievous hand.

Her breathing became rapid, and her eyes pleaded, "Mr. Zhai, I need to go home, otherwise my family will worry."

"Talking nonsense!"

Zhai Yuan, reeking of alcohol, gently bit Li Zhi's earlobe and whispered, "I've been observing you for a long time. You often work overtime until the early hours of the morning and never call home. Sweetie, you're such a grown-up and still so immature. Take your hand away..."

(End of this chapter)