He won 900 million in the lottery.

What's the first thing to do when a project starts?

Are we doing some work?

No, it's a matter of human relationships.

Human relationships are not about "doing crooked things," but about "reducing communication costs."

The "personal connections" in domestic engineering projects are essentially "a collaborative lubricant outside the rules"—using gifts and connections to transform "unfamiliar confrontation" into "familiar cooperation" among all parties.

That night after dinner, Zhang Jian and his wife cried so bitterly that they didn't come to see me the next day.

But when the project site was being prepared, Zhang Jian and his wife called me.

the company.

The two of them had been waiting for a long time.

I was curious: "How did you know I did this project?"

Neither HG Project Company nor HY Investment Company has any information about me, unless... Liu Haitao.

I sighed inwardly. It's true that you can't do business with acquaintances. Luckily, converting gasoline to bottled water is a legal business. If it were like that bar, with HY Company involved in the contract, I'd probably be the one in jail now.

Zhang Jian: "Don't blame Haitao, I begged him. You know, I've been having a really tough time lately."

Me: "Beg? It's probably because Haitao took pity on you and told you on his own. Do you know why Haitao knew this company was mine? Because he was also an original shareholder, but he withdrew his investment because he didn't think this car-to-water-heating conversion project was viable. Even he didn't want to do it, so are you still doing it now?"

Wanting to be a prostitute while also wanting to maintain a virtuous image? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Zhang Jian hesitated, but his wife spoke up: "Let's do it. We have nothing left to lose."

The Zhang couple are ruthless. They owe so much money and have no intention of paying it back. They simply liquidated all their assets and came to me for a do-or-die battle.

Me: "Tell me, how much did Liu Haitao tell you?"

I'm assessing the risks, and this loophole was indeed my oversight. After everyone withdrew their shares, we should have found a new company to invest in it.

Me: "You should pay him back all the money you owe him now. You're even. If you want me to help you, you have to tell the truth."

Zhang Jian's expression was still conflicted.

Zhang Jian's wife, standing nearby, couldn't wait any longer: "Haitao said you're successful now, very wealthy, and know important people, able to get projects. We didn't believe it at first, but after seeing that your company really had a stake in the gas-to-water conversion project, we believed it and that's why we came to you. We don't need to borrow money, we just want you to help my husband turn his life around!"

The jokes on TikTok used to be just jokes, but now I believe them.

If I were to cooperate with these guys, and things came to light, my name would probably be on every single one of those 20 pages of statements.

Qiuya sat beside me without saying a word; these kinds of favors are the hardest to calculate.

Zhang Jian's wife became a little anxious when she saw that I was not speaking.

"We both have experience in engineering, and we're good at keeping our mouths shut."

A thought struck me: "Do you know what we're worried about?"

Zhang Jian: "Don't worry, I won't mention anything about HY Company to anyone. Just give me a way out, okay?"

Me: "Give me a break so you can betray me one more time?"

Zhang Jian's wife: "If you have concerns about HY Company, how about we start a new company?"

I looked at Zhang Jian's wife in surprise; this woman was better than Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian: "Tianyi, whatever you say, we'll do."

Me: "The new company isn't necessary. Would you like HY?"

Zhang Jian's wife was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding: "What?"

Me: "Qiuya, introduce her to her."

Qiuya: "HY Investment Company, now Zhang Huiguo's professional legal representative, has external investment projects including HS Trading, which mainly supplies Haishanglao, HK Digital, which mainly supplies mobile phones through bidding, and HG Municipal, which you all know."

Me: "If it works, we'll do it; if it doesn't, then forget it!"

Zhang Jian's wife: "Let's do it! Let's do it!"

She has had a really tough time these past two years, even having to be careful with her medical expenses. She knows this is her last chance, otherwise the two of them will never be able to turn their lives around.

I'm not the kind of person who hesitates, especially after Liu Haitao pulled this stunt on me, HY Company is now in quarantine.

Me: "In that case, from today onwards, HY Company belongs to you."

Happiness came so quickly?

The two of them were caught off guard.

Zhang Jian: "Tianyi, is this true?"

Me: "I told you, Liu Haitao wouldn't dare to take this business. If you dare to take it and see it through to the end, this is your only chance to turn things around."

Zhang Jian: "Can I handle that heating system project?"

Me: "My dad and my fourth uncle will be in charge there. You can just go to them when the time comes. Not only are you capable, you can do as much as you want, as long as you have the ability to advance the funds."

Advance payment doesn't necessarily have to be in cash. It involves pooling resources from both ends, without contributing a single penny yourself. Getting something for nothing is a common tactic.

HY Company is a professional legal entity; what's important are the company seal and the key to the electronic account.

Qiuya: "Boss, it's our first meeting. Are you sure you can trust them to give the company to them?"

Me: "It's just a shell company anyway. If they're obedient, we'll hand over the business to them. If they can't withstand the test, then we'll just let the project companies lose money."

Qiuya: "...I thought you really cared about our friendship."

I took out a cigarette, and Qiuya lit it for me: "Being betrayed by someone and coming to me, how much friendship can there still be? He wants to turn his life around, and I want to get out of this mess. The two things are not contradictory. Besides, he wanted to do HG's work, and I agreed to it. Actually, I'm the one who's kind."

Mechanical equipment.

Main materials for pipes.

Sand and gravel asphalt supply.

Human labor.

Zhang Jian has something to do no matter which way he starts.

Me: "Qiuya, set up another new company, registered in Shanghai, still under NG Holdings. We can't run a company in Liancheng; everyone there is an acquaintance, and it'll be difficult to fall out later."

Qiuya nodded: "Boss, I saw that you classmates had a very good relationship. They were willing to invest millions in your company. Why did you suddenly leak your secrets to others?"

Me: "That's a terrible teammate. We should have discovered it earlier and dealt with it sooner, otherwise the losses would have been even greater later on."

Qiuya: "That's true. By the way, Liu Dabing sent me a WeChat message asking for my HG account, saying he wants to transfer two million."

Me: "He told me on WeChat. You can talk to him about it and see which contract he should sign."

There are essentially three ways to collaborate with HG.

The first type is subcontracting, which involves both labor and materials. This is the conventional way of a contractor, and it earns more money.

The second option is to take out a loan, sign a loan agreement with a construction company, and earn interest.

The third option is to finance the supply. The construction site needs to pay for sand, gravel, asphalt, and pipes. I use the materials, you buy them, and you bear the payment terms. Profits are distributed only when the client settles the account.

Ultimately, Liu Dabing chose the third option because he had resources at the sand and gravel pit, and by selling sand and gravel there, he could both make money and gain favors.

Like Liu Dabing, doing business on the side is the easiest.

HG project.

Sun Ce and his three partners share 500 million.

Liu Dabing's share: 200 million.

My fourth uncle and my dad each had 800 million.

That's enough for the initial construction phase. Zhou Minyi's uncle stepped in as a friendly substitute. If there wasn't enough money, he would contribute. With him representing the Brahmin Zhou family, the strategic significance far outweighed the practical significance of providing upfront funding for construction.

Besides, there's still Chen Hangtian.

During the initial construction phase, both parties were involved, each doing their own thing. Based on Chen Hangtian's past collaborations, the joint construction involved advance payments exceeding 500 million yuan, which would definitely lead to trouble.

Therefore, I need to make more preparations.