I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 522 Friends are friends, business is business

Two hours later, the two cars entered the city one after the other.

Fang Qingye's phone rang; it was Miao Hongbin calling.

"Qingye, I'm looking for a hotel near the Bund. Call me when you've made the arrangements."

"County Chief Miao, how about we have dinner together tonight?"

"No need for formalities, we're all brothers. Go back and take good care of your wife."

"OK then."

Fang Qingye's car entered the city and drove directly to the Yu Cui Yuan where she was staying. As usual, Yue Kai booked a room at his usual hotel nearby.

It was a little past four in the afternoon when Fang Qingye called Bai Ou to ask about the teahouse she had booked and to inquire if she would be back on time after get off work so she could make her a bowl of noodles.

She was told that the employees of Tomorrow Cube would be working overtime that night, and she, as the CEO, was also going to accompany them, and would probably be back after 8 p.m.

Why.
Forget it, I won't cook. I'll just ask Yue Kai to let me eat something out.

Around 7 p.m., Fang Qingye took a car to the Bund.

The tea house was located in the Magnolia Plaza on the Bund, at a place called Yinxi Tea House. The environment inside was quite nice. As soon as you stepped inside, you could see swaying bamboo shadows, babbling water, and the natural wood-colored tea room exuding a Zen-like atmosphere.

Fang Qingye had just sat down in the reserved private room when Shi Guangrong arrived.

"This place is nice, quiet amidst the hustle and bustle," Shi Guangrong said as he looked around.

The two sat down, and Fang Qingye ordered a pot of pre-Qingming Longjing tea. She said to Shi Guangrong, "Guangrong, I'm not alone today; there's someone else who wants to see you."

"Who?"

"Miao Hongbin, the county head of Wuyang County, was formerly the executive deputy county head of our county. He was recently transferred there and we have a good relationship."

"The county magistrate wants to see me?" Shi Guangrong was somewhat surprised, then suddenly remembered something: "Could it be that..."

Just then, the door to the private room opened again, and the waiter led in two men, who were Miao Hongbin and his secretary Guo Tao.

Fang Qingye stood up and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you to each other. This is Miao Hongbin, the county magistrate of Wuyang County, and this is his secretary, Guo Tao."

"This is the general manager of Silan Flower and Seedling Company, a well-known futures investor."

"Haha. Aoba, you're the famous futures investor, right? I wouldn't dare to act arrogantly, especially in front of you."

Shi Guangrong smiled and then said to Miao Hongbin, "Hello, County Chief Miao."

"Hello, Mr. Shi." Miao Hongbin warmly shook the other's hand: "I met you in Nanxin when Qingye got married."

"Yes, I went to Qingye's wedding, and quite a few of your county leaders went too."

"That's right, the regulations are stricter now, otherwise even more people would go."

Shi Guangrong shook hands with Guo Tao again, and the four of them sat down. A beautiful female tea master came in and began to brew tea for them.

The four chatted for a few more minutes before getting down to business.

"Mr. Shi, I heard that you and a friend are planning to open a wind power equipment manufacturing company?"

Shi Guangrong had already vaguely guessed this from Fang Qingye's words, and he understood what the county magistrate was planning by personally coming to Shencheng and taking Fang Qingye with him.

So I didn't hide anything and simply explained the project.

It turns out that this team comes from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the main person in charge is Professor Wang Xuemin. After years of research and development, he has several patents on wind power manufacturing equipment, but he does not have enough funds to bring them to market.

It was through an introduction from someone else that Shi Guangrong met the person and then had someone conduct an assessment before deciding to invest.

"We decided to divide the project into two phases. The first phase involves an investment of approximately 9000 million yuan to produce wind turbine towers and offshore wind turbine jackets. Traditional wind turbine towers occupy about 33 square meters at the base, while Professor Wang's prestressed frame wind tower, through a four-point load-bearing distribution and an all-steel structure design, reduces the actual footprint to 6 square meters, achieving a land-saving rate of over 80% per tower—a global first." "Furthermore, we developed a jacking device and pile stabilization system for the platform jacket, meeting the diverse needs of offshore construction operations; improving construction efficiency; and featuring a simple and practical structure. The former, in particular, has wide applications."

"If the results are good, we will invest an additional 1.1 million yuan in the second phase to add new projects such as wind measurement towers, and gradually form a complete wind power system."

Shi Guangrong went on and on, leaving Fang Qingye somewhat confused, but Miao Hongbin listened with great interest, occasionally engaging in deeper discussions with Shi Guangrong.

It seems that being a county magistrate is not easy. He has only been in office for a little over three months, but he has already learned a great deal about the characteristic industries of Wuyang County.

Of course, Miao Hongbin did not forget his original intention. After Shi Guangrong finished speaking, he explained his purpose and welcomed Shi Guangrong and Professor Wang to come to Wuyang to investigate investment opportunities.

"Mr. Shi, you and Qingye are friends, and so am I. We hit it off today, and we'll be friends from now on. That's why I'm inviting you to visit Wuyang. It would be best if you came in the next couple of days, since the rainy season hasn't started yet. It'll be inconvenient if it rains every day in a few more days," Miao Hongbin concluded.

"This..." Shi Guangrong hesitated for a moment, "Professor Wang and I have agreed to go to Kunshan."

"Come to Wuyang first, then we can go to Kunshan later," Miao Hongbin said.

Seeing that Shi Guangrong was still hesitating, Miao Hongbin gave Fang Qingye a wink, and Fang Qingye immediately said, "Guangrong, since County Chief Miao is so enthusiastic, why don't you come over and finish your business first, then we'll go fishing!"

"Mr. Shi also likes fishing? Me too." Miao Hongbin immediately interjected, "To be honest, I learned it from Qingye."

"Haha, me too."

"Great idea! Let's fish together!"

Seeing that both of them said so, Shi Guangrong made a decision: "Alright then, I'll contact Professor Wang and try to go there the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll go back and report to our Secretary Liu. Our county leaders are very welcoming!"

The two exchanged contact information.

With the business concluded and the tea finished, everyone prepared to leave.

Fang Qingye was about to pay the bill, but Guo Tao had already paid it before she knew it.

After seeing Shi Guangrong off, Fang Qing asked Miao Hongbin a question.

"County Chief Miao, I'll be in Shanghai for a while tomorrow and won't be back in Nanxin until the afternoon. What about you?"

"Hehe, now that you're in Shanghai, have a good time with your wife." Miao Hongbin laughed. "I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I'll go see Miao Wei later. That kid hasn't been home for a month. He calls and says he's too busy working overtime. I think it's just an excuse!"

It seems to be true.
Of all the companies Fang Qingye works for, Tomorrow Cube is the one where employees love to work overtime the most.

The two parted ways, and Fang Qingye took a car back to his villa. On the way, he thought for a moment, took out his phone, and made a call to Shi Guangrong.

"Glorious, there are some things I can't say in front of County Chief Miao just now. Are those products developed by Professor Wang reliable?"

"After obtaining the national patent, I asked Zhong Hui to find experts from Southeast University who were knowledgeable in the field to conduct an evaluation. There were no technical problems, and the market application had been proven. The prospects were good, but since the product had not been made and sold, no one dared to guarantee 100% that it would be a dead end. Investment is risky."

“Okay, I don’t know either, I was just asking. As for choosing a location to set up the factory, you can make your own comprehensive assessment. Friends are friends, and business is business. Of course, I still welcome you to Wuyang,” Fang Qingye added.

"Hehe, I understand. If all the conditions are basically the same, I can give priority to going to Wuyang and other places first."

"OK."

Fang Qingye returned to the villa. Bai Ou had just returned home a few minutes earlier. She changed into her nightgown and lay in Fang Qingye's arms, listening to him tell her about the tea they had that day.

After finishing speaking, Bai Ou analyzed:
"I estimate that this matter is very likely to succeed. I have heard that the entire Jinghai area, including Wuyang, is making great efforts to attract investment, and there are quite preferential conditions in terms of land supply, fiscal and tax incentives, financial loan support, and even listing guidance."

"Also, Shi Guangrong will take your relationship with him into consideration to some extent."

Fang Qingye nodded after hearing this.

Bai Ou shifted to make herself more comfortable, then suddenly thought of something: "Ye Zi, if we could move this factory to Nanxin, your second uncle would definitely be happy."

(End of this chapter)