Chapter 98: I Just Want to Make Money Quietly

Before his rebirth, Zhou Ming was a standard nobody, dreaming daily of getting a promotion, becoming a CEO, and marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman. So, after hearing Du Peng's words, he was indeed a bit excited. After all, Kong Xiaolin was quite an attractive woman. From the way she admired him earlier, it seemed that if he just beckoned, she would eagerly present herself, ready to be pampered.

However, this was merely a fantasy. To succeed, one must first learn to control one's lower body; otherwise, why would Wang Dachui mention "promotion, salary increase, and becoming CEO" at the beginning? These were the prerequisites; without them, the final goal of marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman and reaching the pinnacle of life would be nothing but nonsense!

Imagine, if Zhou Ming wasn't Zhou Ming, if he wasn't the development consultant for the municipal government and hadn't auctioned off that 8.5 million land, Kong Xiaolin might not even give him a second glance.

His career was just starting. If he began indulging in pleasure and desires now, what if he was knocked back to his original state later? Wouldn't it be a waste of his rebirth?

Lost in these thoughts, Zhou Ming and Du Peng arrived at the municipal government building. Du Peng parked the car, and they went upstairs to Mayor Chen Yunfei's office.

Like many old officials, Chen Yunfei's office was quite simple, with no flashy decorations, only a calligraphy scroll by central leaders drawing attention.

When Zhou Ming and Du Peng entered, Chen Yunfei first had them sit on the sofa. He quickly finished reviewing a document and handed it to his secretary to be sent out, then stood up and asked them, "Why are you here so soon? Did you finish the meeting with the bank presidents? Don't tell me you're here to complain; I'm not going to deal with that."

"Mayor Chen, you're joking. We're here to bring you good news. I've lived up to your expectations and successfully persuaded all the bank presidents!" Zhou Ming said.

"Oh? You really did it?" Chen Yunfei asked in surprise.

In fact, Chen Yunfei had a follow-up thought: *'Those bank presidents wouldn't be just putting on a show for you, would they?'*

Chen Yunfei thought this way not because he didn't trust Zhou Ming, but even with his trust, the bank presidents were seasoned professionals. Chen Yunfei had considered that even if he personally intervened, it would be quite a task. Now Zhou Ming was just a consultant without any real power; how could he persuade these old foxes?

At this moment, Du Peng provided an explanation: "Uncle Chen, you weren't there. You wouldn't believe how it went down. Initially, the bank presidents looked down on Zhou Ming and even interrupted him several times. But after Zhou Ming explained the implications for their futures, they all obediently followed his advice and even promised to recover their loans."

Hearing this, Chen Yunfei was stunned. After a long pause, he asked, "So… it was that simple?"

Du Peng nodded firmly, "Yes, it was that simple. Even if you don't believe it, I saw it with my own eyes."

Chen Yunfei gasped, took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and asked Du Peng to get him a cup of tea.

As the mayor of Nanjiang and the deputy governor of Lingnan, Chen Yunfei's composure was undoubtedly impressive. His reactions already revealed the turbulence in his heart. If it were someone else, they would have been speechless by now.

If someone else had told Chen Yunfei this, he would definitely think it was a story or a fairy tale. But Zhou Ming… my goodness! It seemed there was nothing impossible for this young man. From the initial 8.5 million land auction to the subsequent land speculation turmoil, no matter how absurd or unbelievable it sounded, Zhou Ming managed to pull it off.

What kind of genius was this?

Suddenly, the office door was knocked open, and Chen Yunfei's secretary entered, reporting that the banks were already in the process of recovering loans.

Chen Yunfei nodded silently, waved the secretary out, took a few more sips of tea, and suppressed his inner turbulence. He looked up at Zhou Ming and sighed, "You little rascal, you really leave me at a loss for words."

Zhou Ming smiled slightly, "Since Mayor Chen is at a loss for words, it's better not to say anything. Since I am the Nanjiang development consultant, I am just one of your subordinates!"

Chen Yunfei waved his hand wearily, "Forget it, I don't have the ability to manage such a subordinate."

Chen Yunfei's comment left his secretary and Du Peng stunned. Especially the secretary, who knew how formidable Chen Yunfei was and how he would argue with provincial leaders, now giving in to a young man? This was unprecedented. If this news got out, it would be explosive.

"Alright, since you've convinced the bank presidents and they're taking action to recover the market loans, that's good enough," Chen Yunfei continued. "Originally, there was going to be a conference call to address the land speculation issue, but now it seems it needs to be moved up."

Zhou Ming's interest was piqued, "A conference call? What kind of conference call? Is it related to me?"

"You're quick to catch on," Chen Yunfei said, pointing at Zhou Ming, "This conference call was initially planned as a summary meeting for the land speculation issue. How could it not be related to you?"

"Well, since the land speculation crisis was caused by me stockpiling and selling land, and now I'm persuading the bank presidents, of course, it's related to me. I probably can't avoid it," Zhou Ming said, then asked Chen Yunfei, "But Mayor Chen, can you give me a hint about the level of this conference call?"

"You little rascal," Chen Yunfei said, "This is a conference call personally hosted by Comrade Yang Dingguo. What level do you think it is?"

Hearing this name, even Zhou Ming, as a reborn individual, couldn't help but be intimidated. The name was too prominent; he was a key figure in modern Chinese history, a core leader of the central government, and a champion of the reform and opening-up policies that transformed the country from poverty to prosperity.

In his previous life, Zhou Ming could only see this great leader's photo on TV and in newspapers, and it was inconceivable to have any interaction with such a figure. Yet, this time, he was unexpectedly going to participate in a conference call hosted by this major figure?

Zhou Ming swallowed hard and asked, "Mayor Chen, are you kidding me? Such a high-level meeting should be confidential, right? As a big capitalist from Port City, do I really qualify to attend?"

Seeing Zhou Ming's expression, Chen Yunfei felt a sense of satisfaction. He thought, "You've brought me so much surprise; now there's finally something that can surprise you, right?"

If Du Peng and Chen Yunfei's secretary knew what Chen Yunfei was thinking, they'd probably be even more shocked. It seemed like Chen Yunfei was acting like a child throwing a tantrum, and to have a city mayor and deputy governor acting this way over a development consultant was absurd!

Chen Yunfei smiled at Zhou Ming, "Comrade Zhou Ming, you should know the importance of Nanjiang to this senior comrade. It is a designated economic zone, a window for reform and opening up, a model. Therefore, any disturbance here will be personally addressed by him. And this land reform policy was also set by him. Given the land speculation turmoil, do you think he wouldn't know?"

"Yang Lao must know," Zhou Ming said.

Zhou Ming wasn't surprised by this. After all, Du Peng had told him days ago that the land speculation turmoil had already caught the attention of this big figure.

What did surprise Zhou Ming was Chen Yunfei's next statement: "The conference call hosted by Yang Lao is, of course, confidential. However, you, Zhou Ming, are personally requested by him to attend. As for your background, I've checked it. Your parents are workers, so your background is very pure and fits the type of person our party needs to unite."

Zhou Ming didn't pay attention to Chen Yunfei's mockery. Instead, he focused on the key point: "Mayor Chen, you're saying that Yang Lao personally requested me to attend?"

Chen Yunfei nodded seriously, "Yes, Zhou Ming. The first piece of land in Nanjiang was auctioned by you, ending the central dispute with an 8.5 million price and allowing Yang Lao to direct Nanjiang to start the government-led land auction. Later, you had Du Peng stockpile and sell land, causing the land speculation turmoil that brought the central authorities into dispute again. Now you've tackled the banks as a breakthrough, perfectly resolving the land speculation crisis without direct administrative intervention. As the initiator of all these events, Yang Lao certainly wants to hear your report."

After hearing Chen Yunfei's words, Zhou Ming couldn't help but say, "I just want to quietly make some money and live as a capitalist. I didn't expect to attract the central government's attention, and such a prominent figure."

Chen Yunfei laughed, "With your skills in turning the economic world upside down, if that's what you call making money quietly, there's no such thing as making money loudly."

"I just want to quietly make some money and live as a capitalist," Zhou Ming repeated.

"You are a shining jewel in our new China. You can't hide from it!" Chen Yunfei

 said.

"I just want to quietly make some money and live as a capitalist," Zhou Ming said again.

Chen Yunfei slammed the table, "I don't care what you want. You're attending this meeting whether you like it or not!"

Seeing Chen Yunfei's stubbornness, Du Peng and the secretary were immediately stunned, while Zhou Ming helplessly said, "Alright, I'll attend. Whatever happens, I'll deal with it."