Chapter 62: Sorry, I Can't

The price for the land in Dongmen Sanyuan eventually settled at 8.5 million, with the winning bid from Nanjiang Real Estate Company. As soon as the exchange of documents took place, cameras flashed to capture this historic moment, and even Mayor Chen Yunfei stood up to applaud both Zhou Ming and the auction.

After the auction, Zhou Ming stepped down from the podium, and Du Peng excitedly ran over to give him a big hug. "Zhou Ming, you were amazing! I thought getting four to five million for the land would be impressive, but you managed to get 8.5 million. How did you do it? Did you use some kind of mind-control trick?"

Zhou Ming chuckled, "Du Peng, you must have watched too much Journey to the West. What mind-control trick?"

Tang Ran, who had come over with them, chimed in, "That's just your limited perspective. Do you think Ming Ge is the same as you?"

This time, Du Peng didn't argue with Tang Ran but awkwardly scratched his head. "Well, Zhou Ming's ambition and insight in making money are unmatched."

Zhou Ming, Tang Ran, and Du Peng shared a laugh. At this moment, He Yujin, the Director of the Land Bureau, hurried over to Zhou Ming and Du Peng. "Mr. Zhou, Mr. Du, Mayor Chen would like to see you."

Zhou Ming was momentarily surprised, but then he saw Mayor Chen Yunfei talking to reporters nearby and understood. He led Du Peng over.

Seeing Zhou Ming and Du Peng approaching, Chen Yunfei addressed the reporters. "These two are the real stars of today's auction. Feel free to ask them any questions."

The reporters, who had been patiently waiting, now turned their focus on Zhou Ming, bombarding him with questions: "Mr. Zhou, how do you feel about winning the land at 8.5 million, a record for an internal land auction? Mr. Zhou, as a major businessman from Port City, what are your thoughts on the real estate market here? Mr. Zhou, why did you raise the starting price to 5 million instead of the initially planned 3 million? Is this auction related to government housing reforms?"

Facing the barrage of questions, Zhou Ming calmly raised his hand to signal for quiet and said loudly, "Thank you for your interest and support. However, we have matters to attend to with the Mayor. We will hold a press conference later to address all your questions. Please make way so we can allow the Mayor to leave."

Zhou Ming glanced at the police chief, who quickly understood and organized a way for Chen Yunfei, Zhou Ming, and Du Peng to exit safely.

The reporters were relentless, but with Chen Yunfei present, the police ensured that Zhou Ming and his team left the venue smoothly.

Du Peng, still in awe, remarked, "Zhou Ming, you were so composed with all those reporters. I was stressed out just being nearby."

Tang Ran, curious, asked, "Why are you so worried about reporters?"

Du Peng emphasized, "They're reporters! They can appear in newspapers and on TV!"

Tang Ran shrugged. "So what? Ming Ge has been in the news before."

Du Peng was speechless. For most people, being in the news is a big deal, but Zhou Ming seemed indifferent, as if it was just another day for him.

Feeling defeated, Du Peng lamented, "You're truly out of this world! Your approach is so different from ours."

Zhou Ming laughed, "You're the one who's not living in the real world! It's easy to get media coverage. Next time, we'll handle the press during the official handover or press conference, and you can chat away with them then. But right now is not the time."

Zhou Ming then gave Chen Yunfei a meaningful look, leaving Du Peng stunned.

Du Peng realized that Zhou Ming's actions were deliberate, demonstrating that Chen Yunfei, as the mayor, was the priority, and any press inquiries would have to wait. Zhou Ming's ability to navigate such situations was impressive.

---

Leaving the venue, Chen Yunfei didn't immediately depart but went to an upstairs conference room.

Once seated, Chen Yunfei signaled for others to sit as well. He looked at Zhou Ming and said, "You're quite the young strategist. I didn't expect you to be so shrewd for your age."

Zhou Ming responded openly, "It's better to be shrewd than to make mistakes."

"Quite the clever response," Chen Yunfei chuckled. "But I didn't call you here to discuss that. I heard from Du Peng that you originally planned to set the starting price at 3 million but raised it to 5 million. What was your reasoning?"

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and then asked, "Mayor Chen, may I first ask you a question?"

Chen Yunfei waved his hand, "Go ahead."

"I'd like to know how you view the development of Nanjiang? How confident are you in Nanjiang's future?"

Everyone in the room was taken aback by Zhou Ming's bold question, especially since Chen Yunfei was known as the chief architect of Nanjiang's development. It was audacious to question him directly.

However, Chen Yunfei was intrigued rather than offended. "Nanjiang, as a bridgehead for reform and opening up, supported by central and national policies, will undoubtedly become an international metropolis!"

Zhou Ming nodded. "I agree with you, Mayor Chen. Given that Nanjiang is expected to become an international metropolis, how much should the land use rights be worth?"

Without waiting for Chen Yunfei to answer, Zhou Ming continued, "I recently returned from Port City, where a piece of land in the Central District, only about half the size of this land, was auctioned for 100 million!"

The number caused everyone to gasp. They had thought the local land price was outrageous, but Port City's was even more so.

"Of course, Nanjiang is still in its early stages and can't be compared to Port City. Nonetheless, it highlights the significance of land to a city's development." Zhou Ming explained. "Based on my rough calculations, this land could generate a profit of at least 12 million, regardless of whether it's developed into residential or commercial properties."

The room erupted in astonishment. No one expected the land to be so profitable.

Zhou Ming shrugged and continued, "Since there's such a high return on investment, what's wrong with setting a higher starting price? If the developers can see the potential profit, they'll accept the higher price. That's why I was confident."

Chen Yunfei fell silent, then said after a while, "I didn't expect that even though we consider ourselves well-informed about reform and opening up, we're still behind you, a young entrepreneur. Quite remarkable!"

Chen Yunfei smiled wryly, then looked sincerely at Zhou Ming. "Zhou Ming, as a valuable ally to our development, I, as both the Vice Governor of Lingnan and the Mayor of Nanjiang, formally invite you to be our development advisor. Will you accept?"

The room was stunned into silence. The position of development advisor, though not an official title, held significant value as it allowed involvement in government planning while continuing business. For such a young entrepreneur to receive this invitation was extraordinary.

However, Zhou Ming's response left everyone even more astonished.

"I'm sorry, Mayor Chen, but I can't accept your offer at the moment." Zhou Ming said.