Chapter 14: World 1 [14]

After the internal meeting was approved, Shang Siyu began contacting the relevant departments, submitting all the materials she had prepared in advance.

The verification for an industrial enterprise went very smoothly. The approval was completed within seven working days, allowing New Life Technology to enjoy the government’s subsidy policies.

However, when it came to purchasing the land-use rights, Shang Siyu encountered a small snag. The plot of land that could have been purchased directly was suddenly changed, and she received a phone call informing her it would now be a bidding process.

“If only one company is purchasing land-use rights from the government, a three-day public notice period is sufficient. But just before the notice was posted, two other companies suddenly expressed interest in purchasing the land-use rights as well. After multiple discussions, we finally decided on a fair and open competitive bidding model.”

The staff member handling the matter offered a seemingly reasonable explanation over the phone. “The price score only accounts for forty percent of the total score and is not the sole determining factor. More weight is given to the subsequent development and use of the land. New Life Technology still holds a considerable advantage.”

“Alright, is there a relevant public notice available now?” Shang Siyu was a little regretful she couldn’t secure the deal smoothly, but she could accept the bidding method.

After a silence of about five seconds, the staff member gave an answer.

“In three days, we will issue a notice on the government’s official website. Standard bids can be mailed to us within seven days after the notice is publicized. The bid opening date is set for the third day after the deadline, and the results will be announced in front of all bidders.”

After getting the information she needed, Shang Siyu politely ended the call. She let out a soft sigh.

“We need a competitive bid to secure that land?” Jing Ke, who had been listening to Shang Siyu’s call, tilted her head slightly and asked.

Shang Siyu hummed an affirmative, placing her phone on the table. “Two other industrial companies have their eyes on that land. Maybe Kangxin heard the news.”

“But Kangxin Group is not a company based in this city. Strictly speaking, it’s only a business in this province. The City Government shouldn’t be specifically informing them of these matters.” Jing Ke touched her chin.

“The person with closer ties to the local government is Xue Fan. He has connections in this area. It might be his doing. That plot of land has development value for Xue Fan as well.”

Jing Ke analyzed seriously. “If the land is developed into a commercial office building, it can still generate revenue for the local government and help small and medium-sized enterprises move into the High-tech Park.”

“In comparison, the possibility of Xue Fan making a move is higher. But since two companies want to step in, it’s also possible they are intervening together.”

Shang Siyu wore a thoughtful expression. “In that case, do we have to fight a price war? If we bid a high price to purchase it, our costs will rise significantly.”

After a brief moment of thought, Jing Ke had a strategy. “The base land price in River City is around three thousand per square meter. When we do the bid proposal, set the price at eight thousand per square meter.”

“Eight thousand?” A trace of surprise flashed in Shang Siyu’s eyes. “If we do that, the land acquisition fee alone will be close to two hundred million. We can’t enjoy government subsidies through the public bidding process.”

Jing Ke raised an eyebrow, revealing a confident smile to Shang Siyu. “Exactly eight thousand. Get professionals to handle the bid proposal. During the bidding and opening period, we can directly acquire a factory and then renovate it.”

Shang Siyu’s eyes lit up. “If that’s the case, can we also appropriately leak the news that we’ve secured significant investment?”

“Yes, we can tell a portion of the employees, while requiring them to keep it confidential.” Jing Ke winked at Shang Siyu, with an expression that said ‘you know what I mean.’ “The harder news is to obtain, the more credible it will be for those two.”

Shang Siyu’s brows curved, and a smile bloomed on her face. “Alright, I’ll discuss it with Sister Cui. Release the news before the bid opening, and also see if the new employees are reliable.”

–

Jing Ke and Shang Siyu hit it off immediately, deciding to dig a big pit for Xue Fan, who loved to play tricks from the shadows.

To release enough misleading information to confuse Xue Fan, Jing Ke began making frequent appearances at New Life Technology as an investor and major shareholder.

After quickly passing the first stage of the driving test and obtaining a domestic driver’s license, Jing Ke specifically chose a sports car with a price approaching eight figures. She drove Shang Siyu to and from work every day, behaving extremely flamboyantly.

The person Xue Fan had sent to tail them immediately started snapping photos furiously upon seeing this, tailing them for a full week. They sent Xue Fan dozens of gigabytes worth of videos and photos.

When he first received the data, Xue Fan’s face was full of smug satisfaction.

Thirty thousand yuan for so much information—this deal was truly a bargain.

But after spending an hour looking at the material, Xue Fan’s expression visibly darkened.

What was all this junk? How could dozens of gigabytes of data just be photos and videos of the two of them going to and from work?

And what about them driving the sports car to the mall, driving the sports car to a hotpot restaurant, driving the sports car to the supermarket to buy groceries, driving the sports car to a beauty salon?

Did he pay money just to watch Jing Ke and Shang Siyu shopping endlessly? There wasn’t a single piece of useful information in it!

“President Xue, we’ve managed to find out a little information about Jing Ke,” the General Assistant spoke up before Xue Fan could explode in anger.

“What information?” Xue Fan asked, his expression sour. He immediately permanently deleted the useless files from his computer.

The General Assistant glanced at Xue Fan’s computer screen. “Jing Ke grew up abroad and is currently a shareholder in a company with an annual profit in the nine-figure range. According to the annual report published by the company and Jing Ke’s stake in it, her annual dividends are close to nine figures.”

“Close to nine figures? So she earns nearly a hundred million a year?” Xue Fan frowned, a trace of doubt, and a jealousy he himself didn’t notice, creeping into his tone. “A woman alone abroad with no one to rely on—how could she earn that much?”

“President Xue, the nine figures I mentioned earlier refers to the local currency of the country where the company is based. If converted into RMB, the dividends alone would be around six hundred million a year.”

The General Assistant lowered his head slightly and said, “Although New Life Technology has been tightly controlling internal information, based on what we’ve learned so far, Jing Ke has likely invested a significant amount of money in New Life Technology. This allows them to completely ignore Kangxin Group’s suppression and establish their own production lines.”

Upon hearing that the dividends alone were six hundred million a year, Xue Fan’s head buzzed. He didn’t quite catch what the General Assistant said afterward.

“Production line? So Shang Siyu plans to acquire that abandoned processing plant and convert it into her own production line?” Xue Fan only caught the last few words.

“The possibility is very high. New Life Technology’s offer price is likely to be very high as well,” the General Assistant warned. “If we want to snatch that plot of land, we might need to spend three hundred million.”

Xue Fan’s brow furrowed deeply. He interrupted the General Assistant. “No way. Absolutely not. We cannot let her get a suitable factory. If it’s three hundred million, so be it. We’ll launch the pre-sale of our property earlier and temporarily slow down the company’s other expenditure.”

The General Assistant inwardly disagreed with spending a large sum to compete against New Life Technology and offered a tactful suggestion. “President Xue, if we do this, our capital chain will become very tight.”

“It’s fine. Houses are never hard to sell. The money will come back once they’re sold.” Xue Fan naturally wouldn’t heed his assistant’s advice, issuing instructions on his own.

“Do as I say. Start the pre-sale on the property early. Then send someone to probe the price Shang Siyu has settled on. We’ll add ten yuan per square meter on top of their base price.”

Xue Fan spoke with great confidence. The gloomy look on his face vanished completely as he imagined using the smallest possible margin to secure the land-use rights for the High-tech Park.

At the opening ceremony, Shang Siyu’s expression would surely be a sight to behold. He had to enjoy it properly!