Road to Revival

With only half a thick Havana cigar remaining, Tang Yikun was still wide awake.

The matter on Huajin Road has reached the city level. Zhou Hongyou has already called twice, and now he called again—the third time—telling him to handle the matter "properly." An inspection team has suddenly been dispatched from above, seemingly to deal with Secretary Wang Yi. At this crucial moment, it's essential to maintain harmony and avoid making things worse.

He knew Wang Yi was likely to be promoted. The five years Wang Yi governed Pingquan were five years of great development for the city. In terms of GDP ranking, Pingquan was already third in the province, and if their development rates remained constant, surpassing Qingshan to take second place would only be a matter of two or three years. Besides the major indicator of total economic output, Pingquan's achievements in urban and road construction, average wages, and unemployment control were also evident. His achievements were tangible, and Wang Yi's promotion was not surprising at all. He was a pragmatic official, he fully acknowledged.

In fact, his personal relationship with Wang Yi was much deeper than that with Zhou Hongyou. When Zhou Hongyou was still a section chief at the Provincial Economic and Trade Commission, he had already established a friendship with Wang Yi, who had been transferred from the Provincial Economic and Information Commission to become the mayor of Pingquan. It's just that they had drifted apart a lot in the past six months. He understood Wang Yi's political sensitivity, which was normal and did not indicate a change in their relationship.

Wang Yi paid close attention to the development of Donghu and had given him many good ideas. He greatly admired Wang Yi for the insightful and forward-thinking nature of his suggestions, considering him not only an official but also a scholar. Since entering the treacherous business world, he had come to admire those with genuine talent. Doing specific tasks well is an ability, but the real skill lies in foreseeing future development directions.

Wang Yi pointed out the hidden worries about Donghu's development at least three years ago. Now, his insight has proven sharp. Wang Yi needs Donghu, and Donghu needs Wang Yi. Zhou Hongyou doesn't seem to realize he'd rather cause Wang Yi trouble.

However, Wang Yi's promotion might not be a good thing for Donghu. Even if Wang Yi becomes the vice governor of the province, his contribution to Donghu will definitely not be as significant as it is now. Although Donghu is already the top private enterprise in the province and has extended its industrial chain to other provinces, its core business is still in Pingquan. Currently, Wang Yi is the municipal party secretary and the head of Pingquan. If he leaves, even if he becomes a vice-ministerial level official, his influence over Donghu will actually decrease.

To his dismay, Wang Yi had never revealed any information to him about the changes in officialdom. This was somewhat unusual.

It's all Luo Shaoxing's fault! Tang Yikun felt helpless and annoyed by Luo Shaoxing. Indeed, Luo Shaoxing was an old friend and classmate, and had made great contributions to the expansion of Donghu Real Estate Company. However, he couldn't keep up with Donghu's development. Qi Zhen was right; some veterans should indeed step down.

He had asked Qi Zhen to test Luo Shaoxing, but the deal fell through and the mutual suspicion only deepened.

His attitude towards Luo Shaoxing was that he could give him a large sum of money, or a generous monthly "pension," but he would never give him the shares he wanted! But what Luo Shaoxing wanted was precisely shares. This was impossible. Donghu Industrial was privately owned by the Tang family. Apart from a few relatives like Wei Fengru, Wei Shegang, and Tang Yiwei, no elder had ever been given shares as a reward, not even Qi Zhen. What right did Luo Shaoxing have?

Setting aside the Luo Shaoxing issue, Tang Yikun's thoughts returned to Donghu Real Estate. He wasn't worried about handling the Huajin Road incident; he had accumulated rich experience in this area, including dealing with the media, and wouldn't drag Donghu Real Estate into a media storm. He considered himself compassionate, but he had long since lost even the most basic compassion for those holdout residents. Things weren't ten years ago anymore; he deeply felt the moral decay developing in all directions and at a deeper level. After the Huajin Road incident, he immediately learned what had happened. Behind Deng Guoming's Yinqiao Company's barbaric and inhumane behavior was the irrational greed of that Li family. You say you only have a dilapidated house built in the 1980s with a total floor area of ​​48 square meters? Donghu Company's compensation for the area has already conceded to 1:2, which is equivalent to getting a 100-square-meter apartment for free after Donghu Hanlin is completed. They still wouldn't agree to such conditions, shamelessly demanding compensation of three apartments! That damned old woman openly said she wanted to get one for each of her three children. How could this be allowed? Is Donghu Company being treated like a cash cow or a charity?

He understood Luo Shaoxing's attitude. In a sense, Luo Shaoxing was acting in the company's best interests. The project was stalled, and with the dry season almost over, the hidden works couldn't be delayed until the rainy season. Taking some relatively extreme measures was a last resort.

I once discussed a question with a close friend: who is more moral, the wealthy or the poor? The answer was no. Opinions differed, and no consensus was reached. The discussion took place within the East Lake Reading Club, established at Qi Zhen's suggestion. It had been operating for over ten years, with only a few dozen official members, and no more than twenty participating in each discussion. Qi Zhen had recommended a book to him, *The Blue Bloods*, written by an American, which he had actually read carefully. Qi Zhen admired the lifestyle of America's industrial elites and suggested establishing a small-scale reading club, holding events every two weeks. The typical program involved someone introducing or presenting a book, followed by a discussion. Tang Yikun generally didn't speak; he mostly listened. He admitted that this salon was sophisticated—people of similar status sitting together, drinking coffee, smoking cigars, and discussing literature and art, industry development, or international and domestic affairs—far superior to typical gambling parties and dinners.

What Tang Yikun pondered was that there was no disagreement about the existence of social classes or strata. Regardless of the official explanation, social classes certainly existed, and they were completely different from what they were thirty years ago. For example, the members of this reading group were all senior executives of companies, either senior managers of Donghu Industrial or private business owners with long-term business dealings with Donghu Industrial. They acknowledged belonging to the same social class, characterized by a shared focus on common themes: stock market trends, industry analysis, discussions of domestic and international political and economic situations… rarely mentioning anything else. They basically didn't discuss the prices of grain, vegetables, and housing that ordinary people cared about. This was the hallmark of social class. But while the existence of social classes was a fact, there was no consensus on whether there were consistent standards for moral adherence. For instance, Mr. Cai, the general manager of Jiaping Company, believed that moral standards should not differ based on social class. On the contrary, the so-called high-income, high-status class should be exemplary in upholding social morality and setting a good example for society. He cited well-known wealthy individuals with positive images abroad, arguing that the decline of social morality in China was precisely due to the lack of entrepreneurs with a strong sense of responsibility towards the nation and its people. However, many other members believed that morality is differentiated, with different social classes having different moral values. As long as one complies with the law, they should not be criticized. The wealthy, having created their wealth, should rightfully enjoy the glory and pleasure that wealth brings; in fact, their enjoyment of life creates opportunities for many more people.

Tang Yikun, the president of the East Lake Reading Club, did not express his opinion that time. When Cai Yuanhao asked him to share his thoughts, he smiled and said that he had not yet reached a conclusion on the issue.

He disagreed with Cai Yuanhao's near-saintly attitude; he wasn't a saint. But he had long since discovered that the so-called pursuit of enjoyment was actually self-imposed constraint, devoid of true happiness. Long ago, he discovered a fundamental law in society: there are gains and losses, without exception. On a smaller scale, if you indulge in lavish meals every day, you risk cardiovascular disease; if you pursue women, you risk family breakdown, children turning against you, or financial loss while enjoying physical pleasure. On a larger scale, if you have the power to decide the fate of others, you must bear the corresponding responsibility. For example, the entrepreneurs in the book club are constantly concerned with their companies' development and profits; they worry about employees not having work, are frustrated when they can't pay wages, and are even more troubled by uncollected payments.

To possess is to give; happiness is always accompanied by troubles. Tang Yikun had long discovered that his happiness or satisfaction had not increased with the company's expansion, and had even decreased. His attitude towards life in the past five years was completely different from that of five years ago. Those who did not understand the ways of the world would not hesitate to praise him for this, but in reality, he was simply avoiding troubles.

What perplexed him was that some things had no turning back. You can return something you don't like, but a business often only has one path forward. Donghu Industry had encountered a problem with its development direction, and the only solution was continued expansion; dissolution was out of the question. Qi Zhen predicted a downturn in the real estate market, but so what? They could only keep going; if there was no market, they would create one. At least for now, that was the only option.

The urban planning of Pingquan City was no secret to him, especially after Zhou Hongyou took charge of it, making it even more transparent. Urban planning and construction are always a spiral process, without end. As soon as one cycle ends, the next begins. The "12th Five-Year Plan" is only a five-year plan; a major adjustment has already been made, and countless minor adjustments are likely already underway. The "12th Five-Year Plan" is only halfway through, and the "13th Five-Year Plan" has already been launched. As long as the city expands, is under construction, and is developing, Donghu Real Estate will be full of opportunities. Therefore, Tang Yikun has a different interpretation of Qi Zhen's assessment. He believes that in the future, purely commercial development will no longer be possible; vacancy rates cannot be ignored, and the purchasing power of citizens is also a major issue. However, the government will not lack funds; the government always has greater ambitions. Once Donghu Real Estate officially boards the government's urban construction ship, Donghu's voyage will not be hindered.

The opportunity was right there. Without Zhou Hongyou's hints, what did Tang Yikun do? Couldn't he see that the only direction for the development of Pingquan City was westward? To the east were rolling hills, to the north had been expanding for nearly ten years, and to the south was blocked by the Yue River. Only westward expansion was the only reasonable option.

This is where Hongxing Company comes into play. He is a descendant of Hongxing, born and raised on that land, where he lived for nearly twenty years. It's a vast area of ​​570 million square meters, spanning 8600 mu. How many business opportunities are hidden in the government's relocation of Hongxing to create Pingquan New City? Gaining an early advantage in the Pingquan New City plan is enough to revitalize Donghu Real Estate.

Therefore, he wanted to host a banquet for Tao Tang. The death of a Hongxing employee in the Huajin Road incident was one reason, but a trivial one. His company had a basis for cooperation with Hongxing; the products from his factories, which the expert group had deemed should be abandoned, could be used for cooperation with Hongxing—this was a larger reason. The bigger reason was that he had to stay ahead of the government, plan ahead, and pave the way for Donghu Industrial's development over the next five years and beyond.

Tang Yikun thought of Song Yue. He was a strong and shrewd man, insightful and ambitious, but unfortunately, he fell victim to the anti-corruption campaign that was already showing signs of trouble. He felt sorry for him. If Song Yue were still alive, he believed he could have established a good working relationship with him. Now, the head of Red Star was Tao Tang, his former classmate whom he hadn't seen for over twenty years. He had no idea what Tao Tang's personality was like. But he knew the operating model of state-owned enterprises; their decision-making was actually more arbitrary than that of private enterprises. If he could control the top leader, all the problems would be solved.