Road to Revival

Located in the northeastern suburbs of Pingquan City, bordering the west bank of Feiyuan Reservoir, Jinxiuyuan residential area was once the most upscale residential area in Pingquan. In the mid-1990s, a 100-square-meter apartment was considered large, but the smallest apartment in Jinxiuyuan was 100 square meters, and the largest reached 180 square meters, along with more than 20 three-story detached villas with front and back gardens. It's no exaggeration to say that Jinxiuyuan ushered in the era of luxury housing in Pingquan City. Naturally, the first residents of Jinxiuyuan were all extremely wealthy and influential; at the time, it practically encompassed the most powerful and affluent groups in Pingquan. A popular joke at the time went like this: if two people got into a fight on the street, one would yell at the other: "What are you so proud of? You think you live in Jinxiuyuan?"

With the launch of more high-end residential projects in Pingquan, Jinxiuyuan has gradually faded from public view. Aside from its unique geographical advantage of being nestled against the mountains and overlooking the lake, Jinxiuyuan has become outdated, like a once stunningly beautiful woman gradually entering a mundane middle age. However, the prices of Jinxiuyuan properties remain high; a secondhand apartment here can still fetch the price of a new apartment in the city center. Why? Just take a walk through Jinxiuyuan and you'll understand. The astonishingly high plot ratio of the complex alone puts it miles ahead of later so-called luxury communities, not to mention its lakeside advantage. Those other communities' claims of lakeside living are merely marketing gimmicks, but Jinxiuyuan is a true lakeside residence. From the east gate of the complex, it's only a ten-minute walk to the lake. The Feiyuan Reservoir, with a water surface area of ​​over 30,000 mu, is like a dazzling pearl embedded in the northeastern suburbs of Pingquan. It is not only a water park for the citizens of Pingquan but also the lifeline of the city—the city's water supply mainly relies on this large reservoir built in the 1950s.

On Monday evening, a gleaming black Phaeton drove out of the south gate of Jinxiuyuan, drove several miles around, and parked under a weeping willow tree by the lake. A middle-aged couple got out of the car and strolled slowly along the dimly lit path. The European-style streetlights, spaced far apart, weakly illuminated the cobblestone lakeside path. After walking for a while, the couple stopped. The man spread two sheets of white paper on a bench, and the two sat down facing the lake.

"Sister, I think this is an opportunity... an opportunity to turn the tide for East Lake." The man took out a cigarette and lit it, the dark red tip glowing intermittently.

"It's not as simple as you think... It's hard to change what he's planning." The woman's voice was gentle. "Shegang, what are your true thoughts? Tell me."

The woman speaking was Wei Fengru, wife of Tang Yikun, chairman of the board of directors of Donghu Industrial, and the man was Wei Fengru's younger brother, Wei Shegang, president of Donghu Mining Company. He had met with Tang Yikun at the Donghu Industrial headquarters in the afternoon and came to meet his sister in the evening to discuss important matters.

As expected, Tang Yikun did not return to his home in Jinxiuyuan that night.

"Donghu is no longer a three-legged entity; even two-legged is a stretch. Over the past five years, a significant amount of capital has been poured into Qi Zhen's operations. Tang Yiwei's Donghu Machinery was already on its last legs, so let's not even mention it. My mining company, in terms of both profit and scale, can no longer compare to the real estate company controlled by Qi Zhen. If my brother-in-law's strategic vision is realized, Donghu Industry can be renamed Donghu Real Estate. Our voice on the board will become even weaker. For your sake, for Xiaotian's sake, I cannot allow that to happen."

"I'm asking about your specific thought process."

"Isn't he trying to facilitate Hongxing's relocation by strengthening cooperation with it? Fine, we can team up with Tang Yi to make it happen. He recently wanted to talk to Hongxing's top management. Hongxing recently changed its leader, and that person is also a Hongxing scion, with some connections to him. He wants to offer Hongxing some incentives... You know, Hongxing has always wanted to expand its partnerships with me. Before, for other reasons, I consciously suppressed Hongxing... Things always have two sides, that's what he repeatedly taught me. As Hongxing's vitality increases, the difficulty of its relocation will correspondingly increase, that's one point. Secondly, I heard that Wang Yi is going to be removed. After he leaves, Shangguan Hong will most likely take over. The so-called 'westward expansion strategy' of Pingquan was proposed by him, which will make the situation even more unfavorable for us. Thirdly, Governor Xing told me at the private enterprise symposium before the new year that the rectification and integration of small and medium-sized coal mines should be deepened. He hoped that Donghu Mining would seize this opportunity to grow bigger and stronger, and not just focus on mining coal, but move towards depth and breadth." I had mentioned to him long ago that we should seize this rare opportunity to build on our momentum, merging more small, struggling coal mines and acquiring more resources. But he disagreed, believing my proposed comprehensive development plan was impractical. In reality, Donghu's funds are all tied up with Qi Zhen, who's always trying to break out of the increasingly obvious predicament in the real estate market! How's Emerald Garden? Didn't I tell you? Just drive around the city and count all those concrete piles; you'll know the real estate market has reached a dead end! How many migrant workers does Pingquan have? It might take ten years to absorb them all! I firmly believe that instead of going against the tide, we should change course. Donghu's way out still depends on mining; now we must seize every opportunity to expand our mining capabilities and eliminate all opportunities for Qi Zhen…”

"The city construction plan has been approved by the province. Even if Shangguan Hong is not promoted to secretary, it is not easy to overturn it, right? Besides, haven't you heard? A few days ago, when the boss of Huihuang Group came to the province, he had already agreed in principle to the relocation of Hongxing Company."

"Easier said than done! What kind of scale is Hongxing?! You've been there before. They're just giving the province face. Anyway, they're not paying for it. Relocating the tens of thousands of Hongxing employees' families is a huge undertaking that the city can't handle, let alone others." Wei Shegang stubbed out his cigarette. "Sister, Hongxing's fate is irrelevant; we don't need to care. But the expansion of the real estate market means a weakening of our voice. Meanwhile, the strengthening of mining and machinery companies is to our advantage. That's the big picture right now."

"Tang Yiwei is unreliable..." Wei Fengru sighed. "Besides, the construction of Pingquan New City is precisely an opportunity for Donghu. Think about it, even if Hongxing relocates to the development zone, his family can't possibly move there, right? The shantytown renovation is such a huge pie! Not to mention the construction of the cultural city. I think he's very astute..."

"The profits from shantytown redevelopment are not as good as those from affordable housing. And the project is dragging on for too long; we can't afford to waste any more time. This afternoon when I went to his office, he was having a good talk with President Wang of the Provincial Construction Bank. They're probably pressuring us. Isn't it too risky to put all our eggs in one basket—Pingquan New City? As for Tang Yiwei, times have changed. The last board meeting ended badly, and you saw Tang Yiwei's attitude; he has a lot of complaints about his brother-in-law."

Tang Yiwei, the younger brother of Tang Yikun, is a founding member of Donghu Group, just like Wei Shegang. He now manages a wide variety of companies besides mining and real estate. Two years ago, Tang Yikun consolidated all of Donghu's subsidiaries except for the mining and real estate companies into Donghu Machinery, handing it over to Tang Yiwei. However, Donghu Machinery is facing serious operational difficulties and has effectively become a burden on the Donghu Industrial Group. Qi Zhen once suggested a drastic cleanup of the machinery company, selling, closing, or bankrupting a number of companies with bleak prospects. However, this was strongly opposed by Tang Yiwei at the last board meeting. Wei Fengru did not attend that board meeting; she learned about the situation from Wei Shegang.

Wei Fengru nodded. She understood that Tang Yiwei's dissatisfaction stemmed from the internal division of labor within the group; he had never wanted to take on that undesirable task. Tang Yiwei had always wanted to manage the real estate business and had tried to persuade her, arguing that Qi Zhen was, after all, an outsider and unreliable. But Wei Fengru felt that Tang Yiwei was even less reliable and less capable than Qi Zhen, so naturally she wouldn't help him. Of course, she knew that even if she sided with Tang Yiwei, it probably wouldn't change the current power structure, because Tang Yikun's vote was crucial. Currently, there was no indication that Tang Yikun distrusted Qi Zhen.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. You handle it. I don't want to get involved in business matters anymore. I'm asking you, how are you doing with the things I asked you to do?"

"She lives in the Yuehe District. She rarely goes out and employs two nannies, one of whom I suspect is a trained bodyguard. She never goes to headquarters, that much is certain."

"Is that child really his?"

"Of course. My brother-in-law is such a shrewd person, he wouldn't make a mistake." Wei Shegang looked suspiciously at his sister's blurry face. "Sister, you absolutely mustn't do anything foolish! This is no joke!"

"What are you thinking?! You're saying she doesn't care about company affairs? But isn't his new secretary, Dai Xuedong, that woman's brother?"

"It's my cousin. The young man is shrewd and capable; he doesn't seem like a good-for-nothing."

"What I fear most is shrewdness and competence. Of course, he wouldn't use a useless person." Wei Fengru's tone became stern. "You're not at headquarters, so how do you know what he's thinking about every day? I don't believe that vixen wouldn't have some ideas. Keep lying to yourself."

"Sister, I've told you so many times, try to think more positively. Actually, someone like your husband is pretty good." Wei Shegang thought of himself, realizing he wasn't much better off than Tang Yikun.

"Don't give me that nonsense! Without me, without our family's financial support, could Tang Yikun have gotten to where he is today? He can keep his mistress, but don't even think about leaving that bastard a single penny of Donghu!"

"How could that be? Aren't we just planning ahead? When Xiaotian is a little older, I'll arrange for him to work with me, so he can get some experience and take over his brother-in-law's job."

"Shegang, I've been reluctant to say this, but he doesn't like Xiaotian."

"That's nonsense."

"I'm not making this up. He thinks Xiaotian is weak and that Xiaotian isn't like him."

"Children change, leave him to me, I'll take care of him." Wei Shegang lit another cigarette. "Sister, I also want to give you some advice, please don't be angry. Your husband is wrong, but mistakes are common for people with his status and wealth, it's not a big deal in my opinion. He won't, and can't, hand the company over to outsiders. In fact, he's had very few scandalous rumors these past few years. Don't hold a grudge against him, it only benefits that woman surnamed Dai. Look, he's never coming back now, what good is that to you? Sister, you're just too domineering."

"Forced? I'm not forceful, I'm just too weak." Wei Fengru's tone became much sterner. "She Gang, I'm warning you too, don't go too far."

Wei Shegang avoided this awkward topic, saying, "Sis, you still need to go to headquarters more often. You're still the company's second-largest shareholder. Staying cooped up at home all the time isn't good for your health."

"You're right." Wei Fengru nodded. "Shegang, I have no other thoughts. I'm not as good as him, nor as good as you, at managing this business. But I will never allow the empire we've worked so hard to build to be handed over to outsiders. You better pay attention and don't make me sad."

"Don't worry. I hope you can talk to Tang Yiwei about strengthening cooperation with Red Star. Your words carry more weight than mine."

"Not necessarily. But I can say what I want to say."