Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

Capital

Minister of Industry Huang Bin sat on the sofa and placed a detailed document on the coffee table in front of the old man sitting opposite him. The document detailed how the project was blocked, from the Shanghai Automobile Group taking the lead to the intervention of the Shanghai Municipal Government, and then to the sudden suspension of the approval by the State Council Land Bureau.

This document was handwritten by Huang Bin overnight after receiving a call from Guo Yifu. Although the document did not mention Song Huaiyuan and his son, they are both people who have been working in the system for decades. If Song Huaiyuan could make a phone call to his son to block the approval, he could certainly make a phone call to someone he trusts to get the clarification.

"Comrade Song Huaiyuan went too far in this matter," the old man sitting opposite Huang Bin spoke, his voice not loud but carrying great weight. He put down the documents and said firmly, "Xiaochi's project is a landmark project of reform and opening up; it cannot afford to fail!"

"Song Huaiyuan, driven by selfish motives, sabotaged the entire operation; his intentions are despicable and unforgivable!"

After the old man spoke, all the other cadres in the meeting room looked serious. These were not ordinary cadres; they rarely expressed their opinions, but once they did, it was an unquestionable conclusion.

Huang Bin picked up where he left off, saying, "My opinion is that the projects in Shanghai should not be halted. The Ministry of Industry and the State Planning Commission should jointly issue a document urging the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Government to resolve the land approval issues within a specified timeframe. At the same time, the State Council should not set red lines for local construction; we should support local economic reforms."

"Hmm," the old man simply nodded and hummed in agreement. He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over the people sitting in a circle. "Comrade Song Huaiyuan is getting on in years and it is not appropriate for him to interfere too much in local affairs. Regarding the matter of Xiao Chi, I hope Comrade Gu Long will personally explain the situation to Comrade Chen Zaidong."

"We cannot let others feel disheartened by their active support for our economic reforms. This matter is extremely important; the political implications are multifaceted, and we cannot afford to be careless!"

"I see!"

Without a vote, without debate, and without even a formal resolution, the final outcome was determined by the brief statements made by a few key figures.

Meanwhile, in a guesthouse in Shanghai, Ji Lianjun and his secretary Lai Zhanggao revised the feasibility report for the "Ningcheng version" no less than five times under the dim light of an incandescent lamp. Ji Lianjun stayed up until 3 a.m., when he could no longer stay awake and fell asleep on the table.

"Boss, it's time to get up."

When Ji Lianjun was woken up by his secretary Lai Zhanggao, it was just dawn. Ji Lianjun opened his eyes and saw two steamed buns, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a bowl of white porridge that had stopped steaming on the table.

"What time is it?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"It's 6:30," Lai Zhanggao turned around and wrung out a hot towel for Ji Lianjun. Ji Lianjun glanced at Lai Zhanggao, wiped his face and neck with the towel, and then said, "I'm getting old. I can't even stay up all night anymore, unlike you, little Lai, who can stay up all night and still have so much energy."

Lai Zhanggao just smiled. After Ji Lianjun picked up a steamed bun, used his chopsticks to pick up some pickled vegetables, and put them in his mouth, Lai Zhanggao followed suit and started eating breakfast in a whirlwind.

Ji Lianjun gulped down a mouthful of cold porridge, stuffed the last steamed bun into his mouth in a few bites, and while chewing, changed into the dark blue Zhongshan suit he had brought from Ningcheng. He straightened his collar in front of the cracked full-length mirror and put the feasibility report, which he had revised countless times, into his briefcase.

"Let's go meet that Chen Zaidong!"

It takes twenty minutes by bus from the guesthouse to the Peace Hotel. On the bus, Ji Lianjun tightly hugged the briefcase containing the feasibility report to his chest. This was the result of his and Lai Zhanggao's hard work overnight and an important "weapon" to persuade Chen Zaidong.

Ji Lianjun had considered that the Xiaochi project had already caused a huge stir in Shanghai, with several central ministers personally getting involved. As the deputy mayor of Ningcheng, he was only slightly higher than a full-fledged department head. Chen Zaidong, this wealthy American businessman, might not be willing to listen to him, but he still wanted to take a gamble.

When the bus arrived at the station, Ji Lianjun stood at the entrance of the Peace Hotel, looked up at the gleaming revolving glass door, took a deep breath, and went inside. The receptionist, seeing that he spoke with a Zhejiang accent and had no reservation record, politely stopped the two of them.

"Comrades, Mr. Chen was indeed in the room this morning, but an appointment is required to go up."

Ji Lianjun was not annoyed after hearing this. Instead, he politely said to the waitress, "Comrade, I am Ji Lianjun, the vice mayor of Ningcheng, Zhejiang Province. This is my work ID and Party membership card. Please call and tell Mr. Chen that you would like to meet me."

The waitress took the two documents handed to her by Ji Lianjun. Upon inspection, she was slightly surprised to find that, just as Ji Lianjun had said, such a high-ranking leader was dressed so simply.

"Mayor Ji, please wait a moment. I'll call Mr. Chen and ask him about it right away," the waitress said, no longer refusing.

"Okay, thank you for your help, comrade!"

It was only a little past seven o'clock, and Chen Dong had already been exercising in his room for a while, doing more than a dozen push-ups. Just as he was about to do a few sit-ups, the room phone rang. Chen Dong answered the phone and listened to the receptionist's question. After saying "hmm," he simply said, "Then let them come up."

Ji Lianjun and Lai Zhanggao followed the waiter into the elevator and went up to the eighth floor. As soon as they got out of the elevator, they saw two muscular men with buzz cuts in black suits standing in the corridor, looking at them warily.

Wang Xuewen was about to search him when Chen Dong opened the door, indicating that it wasn't necessary. "I am Chen Zaidong. You must be Mayor Ji Lianjun. Please come in."

Ji Lianjun reached out and shook Chen Dong's hand, saying warmly, "Mr. Chen, hello, I am Ji Lianjun. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me."

Chen Dong stepped aside and invited Ji Lianjun into the room, while Lai Zhanggao was blocked at the door by Wang Xuewen. Chen Dong gestured for Ji Lianjun to sit down and poured him a glass of warm water before asking, "Mayor Ji, what brings you here?"

Ji Lianjun took the warm water and placed it on the coffee table, smiling as he said, "I heard from the municipal government that you, Mr. Chen, had come to Shanghai, so I made a special trip to see you."

"Just to see me?"

"And this, I hope you can take a look, Mr. Chen," Ji Lianjun said, taking out the feasibility document that the two of them had stayed up all night writing from his briefcase and bending down to place it in front of Chen Dong.

Chen Dong picked up the document with suspicion and opened it. After reading only the beginning, he looked up at the smiling Ji Lianjun, a meaningful smile on his lips, and then looked down to continue reading the document.

The document is not very detailed, and some data is estimated based on information from the Shanghai Urban Planning Commission, but it is well-organized and its intentions are straightforward.

Ningcheng can offer Xiaochi far better terms than Hucheng, eliminating the need for repeated wrangling over equity stakes. Ningcheng will not require any decision-making power, and land approvals will be submitted smoothly. Even in terms of taxation, Ningcheng offers two years of tax exemption and five years of preferential treatment.

It's clear that this document was written by someone familiar with the process.