My absurd experiences in North America over the years

For the next few days, Li Fu did not meet with anyone in New York.

He lived a secluded life in a guest room at the Seven Springs Manor, spending most of his days organizing files on his computer and occasionally going out on business.

Setting up a personal trust fund was more complicated than he had anticipated. The bank needed to verify the source of funds, the identity of the beneficiary, and the terms of the trust agreement, and he had to sign each of them personally.

It took Li Fu more than a week to complete the entire process. All the documents were stored in an encrypted folder. Ivanka's name was temporarily listed as the beneficiary. The agreement pre-set the positions of co-beneficiaries, who could be added at any time after their child was born.

Washington's actions were faster than the CP had anticipated.

While Li Fu was managing his personal fund, news channels began rolling reports about arms sales to a certain region.

The order, worth over six billion US dollars, involves weapons and equipment as well as follow-up technical support, and encountered almost no resistance from its announcement to its implementation.

A day later, the Black president confirmed that he would meet with a "religious leader" soon, with a high-sounding reason and careful wording, but everyone knew what it meant.

Looking at the black president's face in the news, Li Fu really wished that the CP could take him down in two years.

But doing so is indeed too risky.

Soon, rumors about a trade war, technology blockade plans, and preparations for a military standoff in the South China Sea began to emerge from Washington.

New York City Mayor Bloomberg publicly opposed these actions, arguing that they would undermine the recovering economy.

However, even as the mayor of New York City, the founder of a renowned media innovation forum, and the founder of Bloomberg, he still appears insignificant in the face of those surging politicians.

These policy adjustments by Washington, when combined, form a complete outline: a radical shift in foreign policy toward the major Eastern power, leaving no room for maneuver.

Li Fu knew he could no longer stay in New York.

This location is too conspicuous, and it will also continue to amplify his deep cooperation with CP Group.

On the morning he left New York, Ivanka stood at the door to see him off. The two embraced affectionately and parted in the morning light.

Thompson drove away from Seven Springs Estate.

About an hour later, Lina sent a text message saying that she and her team, along with the complete research report, had boarded the plane back home.

Li Fu asked them to come to Los Angeles to see him.

More than 30 hours later, after Lina and the other members of the research team had rested, they came to the hotel conference room.

She led a team of five people there for more than a month, visiting five or six cities, meeting with the heads of seven or eight local companies, as well as numerous government officials, and compiling about two hundred pages of research data.

"Thank you for your hard work," Li Fu said, shaking hands with each of them.

Lina was eager to report on her work; she possessed some common traits of successful Western women, including a workaholic streak.

She opened the top folder and said, "Mr. Li, I first investigated the logistics parks according to the direction you pointed out. The Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta directions are correct. We visited one project under construction in Dongguan and one in Suzhou. The local governments are very cooperative, and the land prices are about what we expected. The rental return rate after completion is between 10% and 14%. If we take the land appreciation into account, the figure will be much higher."

This annualized rate could be higher than that of US stocks, but Lina doesn't dare to make that judgment yet because she doesn't know the future appreciation rate of land.

However, Li Fu was fully aware of the situation, so the logistics park now seemed like a must-invest project. "What about commercial complexes?"

This was the second one he had his eye on.

Lina and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement. They had originally thought that second-tier cities in China would be quite underwhelming, but they were surprised to find that the infrastructure of these cities was even larger than that of some international metropolises (in terms of urban area, New York and Los Angeles are actually not very large and cannot compare to second-tier cities like Qingdao).

"There is a huge demand for development in prime locations in second- and third-tier cities in China. Some cities do not yet have any real landmark buildings. Chain brands have a strong desire to move in. However, the projects we are currently dealing with are all quite large. If too much money is invested in each project, the exit period may be longer than expected."

Li Fu had lived through that era, but he didn't have specific data. Lina's team had listed all the indicators clearly, and as he looked at them, he continued to ask, "What about consumer chains?"

Lina opened the second document. "The chain store penetration rate in the catering and retail sectors is still not high. Many brands have the desire to expand, but they lack funds and systematic management. Among the companies we've contacted, two are open to equity investment, and their founding teams are relatively mature. One of them has nearly fifty directly operated stores in the local area..."

Overall, domestic consumption collectively rebounded in 2010, and the business environment is among the best in the world. Some of the businesses that Lina contacted have a very high chance of going public within two to three years if they have sufficient funds and operate properly.

Li Fu did not respond immediately, but held his teacup and thought for a while.

Everything went as he had anticipated, with few surprises and minimal deviations. However, given that this involved an investment of over $20 billion, he needed to weigh the pros and cons and listen to his team's opinions.

"So, do you think there's anything that needs adjustment based on our previously agreed-upon quotas: 8 million for logistics parks and related facilities, 7 million for commercial complexes, and 6.5 million for consumer terminals?"

On her way back, Lina discussed her ideas with her team members. "We believe it's necessary to increase investment in logistics. Our preliminary assessment is better than expected, the local government's policies have exceeded our expectations, and land costs are also lower than anticipated..."

If they make their first investment before next year, their return on investment over the next few years should increase by one or two percentage points.

"We can be a little more conservative with the commercial complexes. The projects we're currently discussing are all quite large and have long holding periods, so their returns might not be as good as those in logistics. We can maintain the same level of profitability in the consumer sector. Several companies we've been in contact with have a strong desire to expand, so there's nothing wrong with this investment direction itself..."

As Li Fu flipped through the research report, he pondered the questions until the last few pages, when he suddenly realized he had missed something: "What about Zhengzhou? Didn't you go there?"

Lina shook her head. "The schedule was too tight, and we didn't have time to go around it, but we did find out about it through various channels."

"Tell me about it," Li Fu said, slightly disappointed, but he couldn't find fault with it.

Lina opened her notebook and looked up the relevant records: "Zhengzhou's airport was approved by the State Council last year, making it the only airport in central China to be approved. The planning for the high-speed rail hub is also underway. Currently, the Beijing-Guangzhou and Xuzhou-Lanzhou high-speed rail lines are under construction. The Zhengzhou East Station is planned to have 16 platforms and 32 tracks. If it is fully completed, it may become China's largest high-speed rail hub..."

Li Fu knew all of this, of course. It was precisely because he knew that he believed Zhengzhou was an unavoidable destination if he were to invest in a logistics park. From a locational perspective, it was precisely the intersection of railways, highways, and aviation, and one of the most important inland transit hubs.

Li Fu leaned back in his chair and listened. After Lina finished speaking, he said, "The airport has been established, the high-speed rail hub is taking shape, and land prices should still be low. The local government has been working hard to attract investment, and the conditions for land transfer will be much more lenient than in coastal cities. Investment here is not to be missed."

Lina quickly jotted it down in her notebook, "Then next time I go there, I'll include Zhengzhou in the first batch of places I'll visit. I'll go to the site first and then check on the land prices and the implementation of supporting policies."

Li Fu nodded, then made the final decision: "Transfer the quota from the commercial complex, increase the investment in logistics parks to 10 billion, and keep the consumer terminal unchanged."

Lina wrote down the final plan in her notebook. "Shall we proceed with this plan now?"

Li Fu nodded. "You can work in Los Angeles for now and draft a detailed implementation plan. Give it to me by next week."

"Okay, we'll go now," Lina and the others left the meeting room.

As dusk deepened outside the window, the lights of Los Angeles began to illuminate the city. Li Fu lit a cigarette in front of the French windows and took a deep drag.

Perhaps the shareholders and LPs thought he was investing in China to avoid risks, or simply to make money.

Of course, that's not entirely true. With $21 billion invested, it will be worth more than $20 billion in a decade or so, and optimistically, $30 billion is not out of the question.

This doesn't even take into account the high probability of increased investment.

With so much money involved, will the related limited partners (LPs) or interest groups influence future decisions?

What he ever wanted was not money, but to use money to motivate capitalists.