Chapter 613: An Investment for My Hometown!
Looking at the expressions of the few individuals, Wang Rui chuckled inwardly. After all, after he had gained insight last night, their demeanor wasn’t much different from his own understanding.
As an executive in Fuzhou, Niu Xin quickly regained his composure. “Lao Wang, is this matter true or false? Could that person be a fraud? If it turns out to be false, our days won’t be easy after such a grand reception!”
Wang Rui smiled confidently as if holding all the cards. “I have a good grasp of this matter. I specifically called a friend in Modu to inquire. It is indeed true, and the background strength is far stronger than what meets the eye!” “Speaking of which, why would this person suddenly think of investing in our small city? I doubt there’s anything particularly attractive here that would interest investors like us!”
Niu Xin’s question echoed the thoughts of Wang Rui and the others. Indeed, Fuzhou didn’t have any particularly enticing resources for investors.
For a moment, everyone fell into contemplation.
After a while, Wang Rui looked at the others who were deep in thought and said, “Alright, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Once we meet the owner of Dragonfly Group, all our doubts will naturally be resolved.”
“That makes sense!”
“Knock, knock, knock!” Just as they finished speaking, the office door was knocked.
A man in his thirties pushed the door open and walked in, quickly approaching Wang Rui and whispered, “Boss, the person you mentioned has arrived!” “Arrived? Where is he?” Wang Rui’s face lit up, looking at his secretary inquiringly.
“Right outside!”
“Please invite him in… Wait, Lao Niu, let’s go greet him together!” Wang Rui looked at Niu Xin and the others beside him.
“Sure!” Niu Xin nodded, and the four of them got up and walked towards the office door.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chao was in the corridor, looking at some notices on the bulletin board.
He saw four or five people coming out of the office, and immediately recognized the middle-aged man leading them.
“Secretary Wang, sorry to have you all come back to work during the holidays. Let me introduce myself. I’m Zhou Chao, the owner of Dragonfly Group!” Zhou Chao’s lips curled up slightly, with a faint smile as he took the initiative to greet them.
The leading Wang Rui’s eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn’t expected the owner of Dragonfly Group to be so young. It seemed he hadn’t even reached the age of his own children. Could he be a second-generation from somewhere?
For a moment, various doubts flashed through Wang Rui’s mind, but his face remained full of smiles.
“I didn’t expect Mr. Zhou to be so young. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Wang Rui shook hands with Zhou Chao proactively.
“No need for formalities. Today’s events have reasons behind them. I hope you all don’t mind.”
“Not at all, haha! We in Fuzhou hope to have more successful people like Mr. Zhou come to invest. This isn’t any inconvenience; in fact, we welcome more guests like you!” Niu Xin interjected opportunely.
“Lao Wang, shall we go inside and discuss? It’s not polite to have Mr. Zhou standing in the corridor, making our hospitality in Fuzhou seem lacking.” Niu Xin interjected as an aside.
“Ah, my apologies. Let’s go inside and talk. Mr. Zhou, please join me in my office for a chat!” Wang Rui suddenly seemed to have an epiphany, gently tapping his own head.
“Please!” Zhou Chao raised his right hand gracefully.
Immediately, the group headed towards the office, with Zhou Chao gesturing to Xiao Yang and the others to stay outside and rest for a while.
Inside the office, everyone found their seats, and after Wang Rui’s secretary brought Zhou Chao a cup of tea, she exited the room.
Wang Rui and Niu Xin exchanged glances, then Wang Rui smiled and said, “Mr. Zhou, you’re truly remarkable at such a young age. Who would have thought that you could establish such a massive conglomerate at such a young age? It’s truly admirable!”
Zhou Chao knew exactly what Wang Rui was getting at with his words.
“It’s just seizing opportunities. Originally, I just wanted to start a company to make a living, but who knew that the business would grow so large? Ah, I myself don’t even know how many industries are under my company now!” Zhou Chao shook his head helplessly, pretending to be modest.
But he secretly laughed. “Who doesn’t know how to put on airs? Since you want to chat more, I don’t mind playing along!”
Wang Rui and Niu Xin tacitly probed Zhou Chao’s background, but they came up empty-handed. In the end, they had no choice but to give up.
“Mr. Zhou, I heard from your subordinates that you’re interested in investing in Fuzhou. I wonder which sector you’re interested in investing in?” Wang Rui cut to the chase without beating around the bush.
Zhou Chao looked at the two with a faint smile. “Haha, gentlemen, to be honest, I am also a native of Fuzhou. Now that I’ve made some fortune, I want to give back to my hometown.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect Mr. Zhou to be from Fuzhou. It seems that Fuzhou is indeed a land of great talent and resources!” Wang Rui’s eyes sparkled with excitement, knowing that this investment opportunity was practically a sure thing.
Niu Xin couldn’t help but chime in, “Indeed, the land of the Two Rivers is truly renowned. With someone like Mr. Zhou, who has worked hard to build such a family business, it’s truly impressive!”
“You flatter me!” Zhou Chao smiled faintly at the two.
After a pause, Zhou Chao continued, “As you both know, I haven’t returned to Fuzhou for a long time, so I’m not very familiar with its development. I wonder if you have any recommendations in terms of investment?”
Although Zhou Chao had his own ideas, he certainly couldn’t reveal them first. If everything was handed to them on a silver platter, they wouldn’t take it seriously.
For a moment, both Wang Rui and Niu Xin were stumped. They couldn’t figure out what Zhou Chao was getting at.
However, they had a good sense of what was going on and understood that Zhou Chao likely had investment plans, otherwise he wouldn’t have scheduled a meeting during the National Day holiday.
But overall, they couldn’t currently find any particularly good projects in Fuzhou to recommend to him.
The two of them suddenly felt at a loss, glancing at each other, and could see a hint of helplessness in each other’s eyes.
After a long silence, it was Wang Rui who finally spoke, “I wonder which sector Mr. Zhou is more interested in investing in.”
Zhou Chao pondered for a moment and replied with a hint of jest, “I’m open to anything. You can treat me as a wealthy fool willing to invest wherever you see fit.”
As soon as he said this, everyone in the room burst into laughter.
“That won’t do. We can’t deceive our own people. While we welcome investments, we can’t let you lose money. If word gets out, who would be willing to invest? People will associate Fuzhou with exploitation even by its own people!” Wang Rui’s smile faded, and he looked at Zhou Chao with a hint of seriousness.
Zhou Chao glanced at Wang Rui, surprised to find that this person had some ideas.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Chao continued, “As I mentioned earlier, I’m completely in the dark about Fuzhou’s development in recent years. If you want me to invest in something specific, I might not be able to decide right away.
How about this: I’ll buy some land here and establish some branches, providing jobs and increasing local tax revenue. Additionally, I’ll set up a scholarship foundation to assist students with excellent academic performance but facing financial difficulties!”
“Thank you for your support for our students. Mr. Zhou, are you interested in real estate? Our new district is also developing rapidly, and Mr. Zhou can also take a look!” Wang Rui’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Even Niu Xin and the others who were sitting silently on the side were filled with joy at this moment. A few pieces of land were worth at least several hundred million. If the deal was sealed, many of the previously planned measures could be implemented quickly.
“Sorry, Secretary Wang, I’m not interested in real estate. As you know, most of the industries under my company are in the manufacturing sector. If there are any old factories on the verge of closure, I might be interested in taking a look.” Zhou Chao politely declined Wang Rui’s suggestion.
After all, in the real estate sector, although many developers appear glamorous on the surface, many are known to be heavily indebted. The profit cycle is long, and there are many complications. Zhou Chao would rather expand the factories of Canghai Technology with the time he would spend on real estate.
Niu Xin, in charge of this matter, smiled helplessly and said, “I’m afraid we might dampen Mr. Zhou’s enthusiasm. The old factories in Fuzhou that are operating well have already expanded, and those that were poorly managed have either closed down or been acquired. Currently, there really isn’t anything suitable.”
“No problem, then let’s discuss the two proposals I mentioned earlier in detail?” Zhou Chao waved his hand with a smile before turning to Wang Rui and the others.
Wang Rui and Niu Xin exchanged glances, both nodding with joy.. If they could finalize things today, it would be a boon for them and for the future development of Fuzhou!