Chapter 63: These two really look alike

The Liaocheng investment promotion director’s decision to join Sanyuan Agriculture, while somewhat abrupt, was far from a rash impulse.

It was closely tied to Liaocheng’s current situation.

Liaocheng boasted several large enterprises, and even listed companies, such as the Shifeng Group, Dong阿 Ejiao, Dongshan Aluminum, and Zhongtong Bus.

While it looked impressive on paper, these were local industries that had nothing to do with the investment promotion agency.

Unless the city allocated substantial funds for them to aggressively pursue outside investments, the director would remain completely sidelined.

With no achievements to speak of, how could he talk about performance or secure a promotion?

He might as well quit his official post and go into business.

Sanyuan Agriculture, armed with nothing more than a single PowerPoint presentation, had already drawn investment delegations from surrounding counties and cities gathering in Taishi. If things continued to develop step-by-step, its future prospects would be limitless.

By joining now and taking charge of a catering division tied to the core industry, he believed that given his years of accumulated experience in investment attraction, he would soon become part of Sanyuan Agriculture’s core management.

That was simply how life worked.

The opportunity to change one's destiny vanished in the blink of an eye; hesitate even slightly, and you would miss it for a lifetime.

The chairman of the Municipal No. 1 Construction Company glanced at the somewhat smug Liaocheng investment director and couldn't help lighting a cigarette.

Although the Taishi Road and Bridge Group was a state-owned enterprise, it was merely municipal-level. Furthermore, as a construction contractor, other regions had their own identical teams and would never hire an outside firm. This completely capped the growth potential of the Taishi Road and Bridge Group within Taishi itself.

Moreover, he was already past fifty. Having languished in Taishi Road and Bridge for twenty years, he could see no hope of promotion. By the time retirement approached, he would at best be sideways-transferred to some dead-end, powerless bureau.

Look at Sanyuan Agriculture instead: having existed for barely a month, it already spanned thirty thousand mu. The person calling the shots possessed immense insight, decisive means, and grand visions...

Ditching this official uniform to join Sanyuan Agriculture was an absolute win with zero risk of loss.

It was a pity he had been too subtle.

A sudden image flashed through the mind of the No. 1 Construction Company chairman—a niche movie he had watched three years ago.

*Once, a precious opportunity lay before me, but I failed to cherish it. Only when I lost it did I experience overwhelming regret...*

***

The private dining room's lounge area was filled entirely with their own people.

The range of topics they could discuss broadened gradually.

Before they knew it, evening had arrived.

Yet the Liaocheng chief executive still had not returned.

Yu Yang suspected that the twenty semi-trailer trucks really had undergone parts replacements, and that the other side was frantically swapping the original parts back.

Just then, the large color television in the private room began broadcasting the Dongshan News.

The first ten minutes were uneventful—nothing more than this leader giving a speech, that leader holding a symposium, and another leader visiting the countryside in plain clothes.

By the thirteenth minute, however, when the broadcast touched upon Taishi’s state-owned enterprise reform, the screen suddenly displayed Old Yu and Dong Jian.

The father and son were shown each cradling a tiny piglet while standing at the main gate of the old Taishi Cotton Mill, posing like tourists taking a snapshot, one of them even flashing a single-handed victory sign.

The news anchor’s voice rang out: 'Taishi’s state-owned enterprise reform has ushered in a major turning point. The municipal compound has provided five million yuan in targeted assistance to help private entrepreneurs build a ten-thousand-pig breeding base, projected to solve the re-employment problem for over two,000 laid-off workers...'

Liao Pengfei, the newly joined Liaocheng investment director, casually remarked, "I have to say, those two really do look alike."

The No. 1 Construction Company chairman knew Dong Jian and had also met Old Yu. Recognizing that an opportunity had arrived, he suppressed his surging excitement.

Because Yu Yang had already spoken up, "Look at me—do I look anything like the older one?"

Liao Pengfei shook his head. "Not at all. You're so dashing, while he's so rough-hewn."

"That's my dad."

"..."

The No. 1 Construction Company chairman chimed in, "Boss! Whatever tasks you have, just name them!"

Yu Yang shot a glare at the dumbfounded Liao Pengfei, then turned to the chairman. "Old brother, I actually really like your personality. How about coming over to our company to serve as the Grand Inspector of Operations?"

"???"

"Oh, primarily responsible for overseeing all aspects of the enterprise, participating in operational management, and reporting directly to me. It's somewhat similar to an internal auditor or inspector, and a bit like an administrative or operations director. But those titles are too complicated; it's better for us to invent our own so the division of labor is crystal clear."

"I wouldn't dare disobey!"

This sudden turn of events left the No. 1 Construction Company chairman wild with joy, and he hastily accepted the offer.

Yu Yang hadn't taken the man in with any designs on the No. 1 Construction Company itself.

Rather, as Sanyuan Agriculture accelerated its factory construction, management talent was desperately needed across the board—otherwise, Sixth Uncle wouldn't have been complaining about being overwhelmed.

With a military background, twenty years of management experience, and a vast network of personal connections, the chairman was essentially joining the company with assets in tow. There was no reason to let such a talent slip away.

Not only that, but they should also poach management personnel from the three major companies whenever possible. Since they weren't in the construction business anymore, why leave all that talent behind just to benefit Old Dong?

Thinking of Old Dong, Yu Yang turned his attention back to the television screen.

This was utterly ridiculous!

Dong Jian had actually gone into pig farming.

Did he have a special affinity for pigs, or was Old Dong scheming something?

Fortunately, his own side had always maintained a healthy wariness toward that old fox. For instance, the funds Old Dong had dumped on Xujiacun for road repairs and parking lot construction had been left completely untouched and redirected toward upgrading public highways.

That way, he could prevent Old Dong from pulling out a document one day and redefining those funds as municipal equity in Sanyuan Agriculture, thereby converting Sanyuan Agriculture into a state-controlled entity...

*No matter how cunning and sly you are, you could never have predicted that I would be reborn with a cheat code.*

Yu Yang sipped his tea, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at Old Dong speaking on television, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.

Feeling nervous and eager to redeem himself, Liao Pengfei, the investment director, said, "Boss, I actually have a team of elites I cultivated through all those years of investment promotion. If I can bring them over to our company, it will be entirely beneficial to the development of the restaurant division."

"Very well, bring them along as well. Don't worry, I'm not that petty."

"You're magnanimous, Boss. The only issue is that those people are currently being detained by Old Dong at the Taishi Guesthouse."

"I'll give Old Dong a call later."

"Thank you, Boss!"

Suddenly,

the Liaocheng chief executive strode back into the private room, followed by his secretary, Old Han, and Zhang Hai.

"Xiao Yu, this whole affair was entirely a misunderstanding! It's all the fault of those undisciplined clerks at the auto repair shop who secretly swapped out the parts. I've already ordered the relevant agencies to step up rectification efforts."

"You've had a busy day, Leader. Please, take a seat."

With the vehicle convoy returned, Yu Yang had no intention of dragging out the dispute any further. "Let's serve the dishes. I can't wait to taste Liaocheng's specialty cuisine."

During the banquet,

after three rounds of drinks, everyone began cozying up individually.

Yu Yang seized the opportunity to bring up the procurement of building materials and the investment in the old plastic factory site.

The Liaocheng chief executive warmly welcomed the proposals, of course. Yet having seen the 25,500,000-yuan passbook earlier, and fully aware that the funds had been allocated by Old Dong for Xujiacun's roads and parking lots, he still wanted more.

"Xiao Yu, we truly met too late. To be honest, Taishi's business environment is really quite poor.

On the surface, Taishi only has two subordinate counties, yet its GDP is a third higher than Liaocheng's, making it look quite prosperous.

However, Taishi's GDP relies heavily on those dozen or so Beijing-based state-owned enterprises.

'Beijing state-owned enterprises' sounds prestigious, but in reality, they have zero connection to Taishi's fiscal revenue or local employment.

Because their employment thresholds are even higher than ordinary state-owned enterprises, ordinary people can hardly get in, and all their revenues are remitted straight back to Beijing. At best, they just provide the locality with some superficial data for face value.

As a result, Taishi's GDP looks higher than Liaocheng's, but in truth, local household incomes lag far behind Liaocheng's, consumer purchasing power is limited, and they offer no real help to Sanyuan Agriculture."

"Indeed, Leader, I share that exact view."

"How about this—I'll carve out a plot of land for you and relocate Sanyuan Agriculture to Liaocheng?"

"I'm very tempted, but we don't have a highway here."

"Highways aren't all that important."

"Once we have one, you'll understand."

The welcome banquet concluded amidst a flurry of polite refusals and counter-persuasions.

For Liaocheng, it wasn't a complete setback; after all, poaching a high-potential, large-scale enterprise required the slow boiling of a frog.

Only, the Liaocheng chief executive couldn't shake the suspicion that his vanguard—the investment director—might have been slacking off.

"Old Liao, the opportunity has arrived. You need to step up your efforts."

Thinking of the fertilizer plant shareholder he had encountered earlier in the day, and realizing that Sanyuan Agriculture genuinely needed them, Liao Pengfei nodded earnestly. "Rest assured, Leader!"