Chapter 188: Determined to Succeed

Global Tower, Faraway Headquarters. 

Meeting Room.

Sun Tao frowned and said, "Mr. Li, the Huafu land isn't an immediate priority. I don't think we need to rush to acquire it. Now isn't the best time to build the headquarters; both store construction and the distribution center are more important. Investing too much in this land isn't cost-effective."

Shen Qian, who was permitted to attend the meeting, also spoke up: "I agree with Mr. Sun! The land around Huafu has already been bid up by real estate developers to one hundred million. We won't be able to acquire it for less than that. Adding in the cost of the headquarters, the total expenditure will be close to two hundred million. The return on investment is too low."

After Sun Tao and Shen Qian finished speaking, the marketing department director countered, "I don't agree!"

"Setting aside the headquarters, let's talk about the land. Last month, a piece of land near Huafu was auctioned, with the price exceeding two million per acre. If we can acquire this land for one hundred million, we're actually making a profit."

"Exactly, and with housing prices rising steadily, I believe there's still room for the land price to increase. It's better to secure it as early as possible."

"Don't lose sight of the main goal. We're in retail, not real estate. Investing too much in this area wastes both effort and money!"

"..."

Every issue has two sides, and for every opposition, there is support.

The arguments in the meeting room continued, with Li Dong remaining silent.

When the arguing finally subsided, Li Dong spoke up: "I am determined to acquire the Huafu land."

Li Dong's first statement caused Sun Tao and the others to frown, but no one said anything.

Since Li Dong had made up his mind, their objections were irrelevant.

Li Dong continued, "However, I will only focus on acquiring the land. The headquarters can wait for now."

At this point, everyone understood Li Dong's intention: he was planning to acquire the land and hold onto it.

However, some people still didn't understand why it was worth spending such a large amount of money on just a few dozen acres of land. Even just acquiring the land would require at least one hundred million in funds.

That amount of money could be used for many other things. It was hard to understand why he would invest so much in this land.

Li Dong didn't explain. His strong push for cooperation with Chen Rui and the others was for a reason.

On one hand, building the Faraway headquarters was one of Li Dong's long-held dreams.

On the other hand, the price of the Huafu land would double if not acquired soon. 

It would indeed double because, after October, the provincial government would finalize the route map for Pingchuan Metro Line 1. The Huafu land was a key site for this metro line.

Once the route map was finalized, the land price would definitely soar. By acquiring it in advance, Li Dong could save a significant amount of money.

He wasn't planning to hoard land for real estate development; Li Dong genuinely intended to use the land to build the headquarters. If he could acquire it at the lowest possible cost, he naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip.

Of course, explaining these details to others would be pointless. Li Dong simply stated his position and continued, "Sun Tao, Shen Qian, and Assistant Liu Qi will be responsible for the land acquisition. You, Chen Rui, will handle the negotiations."

When Li Dong mentioned her, Shen Qian was surprised and then somewhat troubled: "Mr. Li, can I not go?"

Li Dong glanced at her and replied淡淡, "You don't have to go, but you won't be required to attend high-level meetings in the future, as you don't contribute much."

Shen Qian's face turned red with anger. She glared at him and huffed, refusing to say anything further.

Li Dong's decision to have Shen Qian negotiate with Chen Rui wasn't a whim.

Sun Tao always thought Shen Qian had some background. By sending Shen Qian to meet with Chen Rui and the other second-generation wealthy individuals, Li Dong could gauge Shen Qian's real background.

If Shen Qian had no significant connections, Li Dong would not lose anything.

However, if Shen Qian had a powerful background, Li Dong could potentially save a considerable amount of money and even intimidate Chen Rui and his associates.

Li Dong had always been cautious when dealing with these second-generation rich people. Although Chen Rui and Zhang Lanyu had previously claimed to cooperate with him, the ongoing interactions with real estate developers suggested that they were not to be underestimated.

---

After the meeting, Li Dong did not linger. He left the company and headed for the Provincial Hospital.

Upon arrival at the inpatient department, Fang Qingfei was already waiting at the door of the ward.

Seeing Li Dong, Fang Qingfei breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You finally came. I was about to come find you if you didn't show up."

Li Dong didn't respond directly. He asked, "What did the doctor say? When will the surgery be?"

"The doctor said she needs to rest for a few days. The surgery can be performed the day after tomorrow."

Fang Qingfei then expressed her frustration: "But we still don't know where Jia Jia is. The doctor says that a family member's signature is required. Without it, the surgery can't proceed."

"Can't you sign it?"

Fang Qingfei's frustration showed as she replied, "Do you understand the law? This is a major surgery with high risks. My signature has no legal effect, and the hospital won't accept it."

She sighed again and added, "The main issue is that Auntie refuses to proceed with the surgery without seeing Jia Jia. Even though I told her Jia Jia is on a business trip and can't come back, it's been nearly two months now. Jia Jia hasn't visited once, and her mother is starting to doubt."

Fang Qingfei continued, "Moreover, because the surgery is risky, Jia Jia's mother is afraid she won't see her daughter again and refuses to undergo the surgery."

The doctor also said that her emotional state was unstable, making her unsuitable for surgery at the moment, which is why the surgery had been delayed until now. Otherwise, it could have been done a few days ago.

Li Dong frowned and asked, "Has Jia Jia's phone been unreachable?"

Fang Qingfei shook her head, distressed: "Her phone number has been disconnected for a while. Recently, she has called a few times from a public phone with a caller ID showing Beijing. But when I asked her where she was in Beijing, she wouldn't tell me. Beijing is so big; how am I supposed to find her?"

"Has she called back in the past few days?"

Fang Qingfei replied, "It's been almost ten days since the last call, which is why I'm so worried."

Ten days without contact made even Li Dong suspect that something might have happened to Jia Jia.

Otherwise, even if she couldn't come to visit due to inconvenience, she would still call.

After thinking for a moment, Li Dong said, "Give me the landline numbers Jia Jia has called from. I'll find someone to check and see if we can locate her."

With Jia Jia's mother needing surgery and Jia Jia being absent, it was unacceptable.

Li Dong could provide financial and logistical support, but he couldn't replace Jia Jia.

If the surgery were successful, that would be one thing. But if something went wrong during the surgery, both Jia Jia and Fang Qingfei might regret it for the rest of their lives.

Fang Qingfei, having no other options, could only place her hope in Li Dong.

She wrote down the landline numbers Jia Jia had called from and handed them to Li Dong. Then she asked, "What if Jia Jia can't be found?"

"If she can't be found, we can't delay the surgery any further! It must be done. I'll find a solution."

Li Dong said this with a hint of resignation. Beijing was so vast, and finding Jia Jia was uncertain.

However, Jia Jia's mother could no longer wait. The doctor had already issued a critical illness notice.

If the surgery wasn't performed soon, Jia Jia's mother might not survive until October.