Chapter 295: President, I Want to Invest

The establishment ceremony of the Road Administration Management Company went very smoothly, following all the standard procedures. Even Zhou Ming's declaration after being appointed as the company's president was quite formal. However, the event was groundbreaking due to the innovative approach in highway construction and the personal attendance of the governors of Lingnan and Jingchu provinces. The extensive media coverage nationwide gave the event a historic significance.

The idea that "to get rich, one must first build roads" has gradually gained recognition, but road construction is not that simple. With the government's tight finances, it is impossible to raise billions in one go. Thus, exploring methods for private fundraising for road construction is a good solution for future road-building difficulties. Moreover, the segmented construction approach with unified quality standards greatly increases the speed of the project. We can foresee that if this method succeeds, it will accelerate development nationwide and usher us into the era of high-speed transportation...

On TV, the news persistently covered the significance of the Chu Ling Highway and the management company, even though it had been a week since the company's establishment.

Zhou Ming lay in bed, daydreaming, when suddenly a pink arm reached over and stuffed a grape into his mouth. It was none other than Shen Xin.

Shen Xin, lazily curled up in Zhou Ming's arms like a kitten, looked up with her big eyes and asked, "Is there a problem with the Chu Ling Highway news? You seem off."

"The problem isn't with the news, it's with the next item," Zhou Ming replied.

Shen Xin looked at the TV, where a news segment about Jiangnan Province was being broadcast: "Recently, Xing Yuan, the main suspect in the Zeqi illegal fundraising case, has been brought back to Zeqi. The Zeqi City Prosecutor's Office will file a public prosecution on a later date. The recovery of funds from the Zeqi illegal fundraising case is still ongoing…"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming lost interest and told Shen Xin, "The news about Xing Yuan and the stolen funds is fine, but there's almost no news about important officials being disciplined. This situation is too calm, almost unbelievably so, like burying a time bomb even deeper. I really don't know what will happen when it finally explodes."

Shen Xin nodded. Since Xing Yuan's arrest half a month ago, Zhou Ming had been closely following the news, knowing that the entire nation was talking about it. However, the reports were mostly grandiose with little substance. Even when Xing Yuan was brought back to Zeqi for trial a few days ago, no major officials had been genuinely disciplined.

"That's true," Shen Xin said. "But Zhou Ming, didn't you say that the longer the time bomb is buried, the more powerful it will be when you need to use it?"

"I'm just afraid that we might hurt ourselves while trying to defeat the enemy!" Zhou Ming sighed.

Shen Xin waved her little pink fist confidently and said, "No, I believe you, Zhou Ming. You'll definitely handle it well!"

Zhou Ming pinched Shen Xin's delicate nose and said, "I'm not confident myself, yet you're so sure."

After some light-hearted banter, Zhou Ming and Shen Xin got up and left. There was another meeting to attend at Yun Tian Hotel today.

In fact, since the establishment of the Road Administration Management Company, Zhou Ming had been attending meetings daily. At that time, the company had been established, but the funds had not yet arrived. Zhou Ming had no interest in being the president of a shell company, so he had to keep pressing for the funds and discussing future investment strategies.

When Zhou Ming arrived at Yun Tian Hotel, the other investors had already gathered. Unlike the meeting two weeks ago, this meeting did not involve government officials; it was attended solely by businessmen.

Since it was an internal meeting of the Road Administration Management Company, there was no need for the formality of government officials. Zhou Ming took the stage and said, "Hello, Lingnan investors. I'm here again today. I'm sure after these past few days of meetings, you're all tired of hearing the same thing. Regardless of whether you're fed up or have other thoughts, I still need to say that although the Road Administration Management Company has been established for a week now, your funds have not yet been in place, which makes it difficult to proceed with the investment plans!"

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, someone from the audience immediately said, "President Zhou, we know you're having a hard time, but please understand us as well. We're all involved in real industries and don't have the illegal fundraising capabilities of Xing Yuan. We need a turnover period, and it's not possible to just pull out the money instantly."

With someone leading, others echoed, "Exactly. Besides, President Zhou, you keep talking about investments, but what exactly are you investing in? We don't know your investment plans. How can we dare to invest money casually? What if we end up in a situation like Xing Yuan's? Wouldn't that be a waste?"

Zhou Ming gestured for everyone to calm down. "Please be patient. I understand that you all have concerns, which is normal since this money is hard-earned. However, I'm here today to alleviate your concerns!"

The firm attitude of Zhou Ming stunned the crowd. Without giving them time to ponder, Zhou Ming continued, "Today, I'm presenting the first phase of my investment plan. It's called the first phase because I know you have concerns, and perhaps your funds are indeed in tight circulation. Therefore, I plan to divide our road fund into several investment projects."

"The first phase fund project requires at least one billion in funding. I will allocate it proportionally to treasury bonds, the stock market, and some high-risk investment projects."

Seeing everyone's confusion, Zhou Ming continued to explain, "This fund will mainly be invested in purchasing and holding treasury bonds. I believe everyone is familiar with treasury bonds. Simply put, they are loans to the government with little credit risk, ensuring both principal and interest. I plan to hold five-year treasury bonds, which are expected to yield fifteen percent interest."

As soon as Zhou Ming finished, someone in the audience asked, "So, President Zhou, does this mean your first-phase investment plan guarantees a fifteen percent return?"

"No, I can only guarantee up to six percent," Zhou Ming replied.

This answer caught everyone by surprise. The audience looked at Zhou Ming in bewilderment and asked, "Why only six percent? Isn't the treasury bond interest fifteen percent? Could it be that the other expenses are so high?"

"This is a combined investment approach. Although my primary investment point is in treasury bonds, I'm not investing all the money solely in treasury bonds because the interest on treasury bonds is too fixed. Even if there's a fifteen percent annual return, I still find it too low. Since I want to help you make money, I need to invest in some high-return projects as well."

Zhou Ming added, "However, as businessmen, you should understand that high returns often come with high risks. My combined investment approach involves calculating the worst-case scenarios. Even if all my other investments fail, I can still guarantee a six percent return annually. Of course, if you need, I can also contact the bank to sell treasury bonds directly to you, allowing you to enjoy a fifteen percent annual interest."

The audience looked at each other, unsure how to respond. After a while, someone asked, "If six percent is the minimum, how much can be earned if your risk investments are successful?"

"I can't make a guarantee, but according to the most optimistic calculation, it could yield around twenty-one to twenty-two percent," Zhou Ming answered.

"Zhou Ming, this investment method sounds familiar. Isn't it a kind of capital-protected fund investment from Hong Kong?" someone suddenly spoke up.

Zhou Ming smiled and replied, "It seems Lingnan businessmen are quite familiar with the situation in Hong Kong. You're right. This is indeed a capital-protected fund investment method. Since this money is not really for investment but needs to be available for highway use, it must be a capital-protected fund model."

"But I heard this capital-protected fund is a commercial secret from Hong Kong. Will using it here cause any international disputes?" the person asked.

This question caught everyone's attention, as solving international disputes could be quite troublesome.

Before Zhou Ming could answer, Shen Xin stood up and addressed everyone, "I don't think you need to worry about this issue. Not to mention that this investment method itself cannot be patented, only specific investment formulas can be patented. Even if Zhou Ming used Hong Kong's investment formulas, there's no need to worry about their reaction."

"Why is that?" Shen Xin's answer puzzled everyone.

"If you know about Hong Kong finance, you should remember that the capital-protected fund investment method was first introduced by Jin Ming Fund Company after the Hong Kong stock disaster last year. Do you understand now?" Shen Xin explained.

Although Shen Xin's explanation sounded somewhat confusing at first, some people realized the key point: "Reporter Shen, are you talking about Jin Ming Company?"

That single remark made everyone suddenly realize that the name Jin Ming Company had the same character as Zhou Ming's name.

Shen Xin then cooperatively clarified, "You're right. Jin Ming Fund Company is actually a company founded by Zhou Ming in Hong Kong. Officially, it is managed by Lin Muqing, the chairman of the Hong Kong United Investment Fund, but the real boss behind the scenes is Zhou Ming."

Even though people had suspected this earlier, hearing it confirmed by Shen Xin, a renowned journalist from Hong Kong, was still shocking.

Everyone stared at Zhou Ming in awe, thinking Zhou Ming was extraordinary. They had initially believed that Zhou Ming's stock market strategies were learned from Hong Kong, but now they realized that

 Zhou Ming's financial innovations were even ahead of Hong Kong, the Asian financial center. Wasn't it said that all the wealthy Chinese and Chinese financial experts were in Hong Kong? Zhou Ming was actually surpassing them? What kind of genius was he?

However, aside from the shock, the more pressing issue was Zhou Ming's investment proposal.

Realizing this, they immediately came to a decision and said to Zhou Ming, "I want to invest. My money can be ready by tomorrow. President Zhou, please make sure to invest it!"