Chapter 275: Acting

Seeing Li Dong smiling but not speaking, Chen Rui continued, "Mr. Li, what do you think of the Yonghua Building?"

"The Yonghua Building?"

Li Dong was somewhat puzzled. Pingchuan was the provincial capital, and there were numerous buildings. Naturally, he couldn't know them all.

Chen Rui, having anticipated this, smiled and said, "It's the building near the intersection of Guanhai and Yaohai, close to the city court. It has 16 floors and a construction area of about 18,000 square meters…"

Chen Rui had clearly prepared in advance, providing a detailed description of the Yonghua Building.

The Yonghua Building had been completed not long ago, finished in 2001, which meant it had been standing for just five years.

In five years, it wasn't exactly new but wasn't old either. However, it would certainly be more than adequate for use as an office building.

With 16 floors, given the current scale of the company, even if it expanded three or four times, it would be sufficient.

Li Dong understood and joked, "When did you start working as a middleman, Chen?"

Chen Rui was not embarrassed and replied cheerfully, "Mr. Li, just tell me if you're interested. The Yonghua Building originally belonged to the Nanrui Group, but recently the group has encountered some problems and urgently needs funds. They're looking to sell it. I happened to hear this news and knew you were planning to build a headquarters, so I thought I'd give you a heads-up."

Chen Rui then lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Li, this is a good opportunity. Nanrui needs money urgently and is offering it at a low price. The asking price is three billion. If you negotiate well, you might be able to get it for around 260 million."

"If you don't use it yourself, you could still make a handsome profit by holding onto it for a while."

Li Dong smiled and said, "Since it's such a great deal, why doesn't Mr. Chen just buy it himself?"

Chen Rui waved his hand and said, "Mr. Li, you overestimate me. A building worth two or three billion is beyond my reach, even if I wanted it."

"Besides, to be frank, if property prices drop, I would have no place to cry. You're different, Mr. Li. Even if prices drop, using it as your headquarters wouldn't be a loss. If you keep it for ten or twenty years and sell it later, it might even appreciate. Isn't that the logic?"

Although Chen Rui's reasoning seemed sound, Li Dong felt something was off.

He didn't rush to reject the offer and instead smiled, "If the deal goes through, what does Mr. Chen want in return?"

Chen Rui's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Mr. Li, you're straightforward. If I say I want nothing, you'd think I'm insincere. Here's the deal: I don't want anything else, just one favor from you."

"What favor?"

Chen Rui showed a hint of annoyance and sighed, "Mr. Li, this matter is actually somewhat related to you."

Li Dong became intrigued. Chen Rui had been hinting and mixing things up, likely to set up this particular request.

Not exposing Chen Rui's game, Li Dong responded, "What does it have to do with me?"

"Ah!"

Chen Rui sighed again, looking hesitant.

Zhang Lanyu, who had been busy attending to guests, came over and, seeing Chen Rui's reluctance, said angrily, "Chen Rui, what's with all this hesitation? Just spit it out. If you don't, I will! Because of your mumbling, I'm stuck in the middle of this mess."

Chen Rui smiled wryly and said, "You can't blame me. I didn't know how my dad found out. The real unfortunate one is me."

Li Dong watched with a cold eye, increasingly suspecting that something was amiss with the two.

The conversation seemed contrived, and the mention of Chen Rui's father, a high-ranking official, suggested that Chen Rui was distancing himself from the matter, implying it was his father's idea.

So what was this about?

Li Dong had a sudden realization, though he couldn't confirm it immediately.

After a brief argument between Chen Rui and Zhang Lanyu, Chen Rui, seeing Li Dong's silence, seemed to be in a dilemma and finally said, "Forget it. Let Mr. Li visit the Yonghua Building first. If you're not interested, anything I say will be pointless."

Li Dong smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, just say what you need to say. Whether I'm interested or not, you should state your terms. Otherwise, if I like the Yonghua Building but can't meet your conditions, it would be a waste of time."

"That's true."

Chen Rui forced a laugh and cleared his throat, "Well, I'll be straightforward then."

"Please do."

"It's about the land from last time, the Huafu site…"

As soon as Chen Rui mentioned this, Li Dong began to understand his aim.

However, Chen Rui didn't explain it directly. He spun a story that sounded quite plausible.

According to Chen Rui, the issue was simple. He had inadvertently let his father know that he had acquired the Huafu site at a low price. His father, being someone who couldn't tolerate injustice, had demanded that Chen Rui either return the land to the district government or make up the price difference, ensuring the government didn't lose out.

However, the Huafu site was now in Li Dong's hands. Chen Rui couldn't return it or make up the price difference without exposing the shady deal involved.

Ultimately, Chen Rui came up with a solution that would benefit both parties.

He was willing to buy the land from Li Dong at a high price and then co-develop it with the government, compensating the district government in the process.

This way, he could cover the price difference, earn a good reputation, and achieve a win-win situation.

Of course, all of this depended on whether Li Dong was willing to part with the land.

Knowing that Li Dong planned to use the Huafu site for his headquarters, Chen Rui had found a willing seller for a building to appeal to him.

Chen Rui had clearly gone to great lengths to meet his father's demands.

But while this story might fool others, Li Dong saw through it immediately.

Aside from anything else, Chen Rui's father was supposed to be this benevolent figure? Could a good person really achieve such a high position?

Even if Chen Rui's father knew about the land deal before, it was impossible he didn't know about it afterward.

Without his approval, could Chen Rui's group have the capability to acquire land so cheaply in Yaohai District?

In summary, Chen Rui's words were pure nonsense!

Li Dong guessed the real reason. Perhaps it was because the subway line had been confirmed, and Chen Rui had likely received advance notice.

If the Huafu site were valued at around 120 million according to current market conditions, once the subway was completed, its value might easily exceed that.

The price difference could exceed 100 million, and it would be money lost from their own pockets. Chen Rui's aim to recover this land became clear.

If Li Dong were unaware of this and were wary of the Zhang and Chen families' influence, he might have returned the land to Chen Rui.

After all, it used to be a matter between younger generations. Now that Chen Rui had brought his father into it, it was a showdown among real giants, where even Shen Qian's involvement wouldn't matter.

Understanding the context, Li Dong didn't expose Chen Rui's deception. Instead, he smiled and said, "If Mr. Chen wants to reclaim this land, it depends on what price you're willing to pay."

Chen Rui and Zhang Lanyu's eyes lit up.

Chen Rui looked at Li Dong and tentatively said, "Last time you bought it for 80 million. With recent land price increases, I won't let you lose out. How about 90 million?"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Rui's reaction to the laugh made him uncomfortable, and he continued, "95 million, Mr. Li. Last time I took a loss. In just half a year, you made 15 million from me. Are you still not satisfied?"

Li Dong shook his head and remained silent.

Zhang Lanyu, impatient, said, "Chen Rui, stop being stingy! This is a major issue. We could all end up in trouble if things go wrong."

Chen Rui's face showed pain, and he gritted his teeth, "Alright, Mr. Li, you drive a hard bargain. The current market price of this land is about 120 million, but you can't buy it at market price. 110 million is the absolute limit I can accept."

Zhang Lanyu added, "Mr. Li, if this deal falls through, all our years of work will be in vain. The money earned won't even cover this loss."

Li Dong glanced at them and smiled, "Forget it. I really need this land. The design plans from the provincial design institute are almost complete. The budget for Yuanfang is also ready. We're just waiting to start construction. Asking me to sell the land now is putting me in a difficult position."

Seeing that Chen Rui still wanted to say more, Li Dong interrupted, "Mr. Chen, let me consider it. This is an important matter, and I need to discuss it with Shen Qian and the others."

Upon hearing Shen Qian's name, Chen Rui and Zhang Lanyu became uneasy.

If they received the news, Shen Qian would also know.

Although Shen Qian usually didn't concern herself with such matters,