253: Chapter 253 Persuading Chen Zhixun

"Brother, how about a few more drinks tonight?"

"No, no, no. From today on, I'm switching to soft drinks." Chairman Chen Zhixun shook his head like a rattle-drum.

After a brief chat, Qin Chuan said, "I'm in Ningzhou right now and will be back soon. I have something to discuss with you."

...

A certain teahouse in Ningzhou.

Inside a private room, several prominent bosses from Ningzhou sat, drinking tea and chatting.

However, the atmosphere was far from relaxed, filled with a cloud of gloom.

"Old Liu, how much did you invest?"

"Sigh, I got caught up in the moment and put in over 170 million. What should I do?"

"That's not even that much. I put in 350 million. In all of Ningzhou, I'm probably the one who invested the most."

While drinking tea, they spoke anxiously about the fundraising. They had originally hoped to latch onto a powerful figure for security, but it turned out they had encountered a scammer, and all the money had been transferred abroad.

"I heard at least two or three hundred people have gathered at the entrance of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government compound, holding banners and shouting slogans, demanding the government recover the money sent overseas. Secretary Kang made a promise in front of everyone that he would go all out and strive to get all the money back. Do you think that's possible?"

The others shook their heads one after another.

The money was already gone; getting it back would be easier said than done.

There were very few such precedents; once it crossed the border, there was essentially no possibility of getting it back.

"I think it's difficult, very difficult."

"More than just difficult, I think it's basically hopeless."

Hearing this, gloom settled on their faces. Others had only invested tens or hundreds of thousands, but they had put in hundreds of millions, with the most being 350 million.

That damned scammer!

And Zhang Qun, why doesn't he just drop dead!

Upon returning to his office, the first thing Qin Chuan did was call Chairman Chen Zhixun over.

Last night, after getting drunk, Chairman Chen Zhixun had stayed at the Wanshun Grand Hotel, so he arrived in three to five minutes.

"Brother Chuan, what did you want to talk about? Is it about the investment?"

Qin Chuan shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about the investment yet. There's another important matter. Early this morning, Secretary Kang called me over..."

He briefly explained the situation.

After listening, Chairman Chen Zhixun was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected those scammers to be so desperate to live that they would propose such conditions.

What was even more surprising was that Secretary Kang Kewu had actually approached Qin Chuan to have Brother Chuan act as a lobbyist; this was a bit tricky.

After thinking for a few seconds, Chairman Chen Zhixun showed a troubled expression. "Brother Chuan, logically, I should give you this face, but these scammers are too loathsome. They actually dared to impersonate me to commit fraud. They must die."

Qin Chuan nodded slightly.

Everything was as expected; he knew Chairman Chen Zhixun would react this way.

He had already thought of how to persuade him on the way back to Wanshun County. Deep down, Qin Chuan naturally wanted to recover that money; after all, it was a massive sum of eight billion.

Those scammers were indeed very loathsome, and he also wanted them dead.

Qin Chuan reminded him, "Brother, I think you can agree to Secretary Kang and the others to recover the money first. As for those scammers, I believe you have a hundred ways to make them die."

Hearing this, Chairman Chen Zhixun pondered for a moment and then nodded.

This suggestion wasn't bad.

If he could use legitimate means to make those scammers face the law—like being sentenced to death—that would be best.

If they couldn't be sentenced to death, then he would have to resort to other means, such as having them die in an accident in prison.

"Brother Chuan, you're right. Let's get the money back first. As for those scammers, it won't be hard at all for me to kill them."

"Brother, thank you," Qin Chuan said gratefully.

"Brother Chuan, there's no need for such formalities between us," Chairman Chen Zhixun said. "Let's talk more about the investment. I can provide about 12 billion as the initial investment, with more to follow. The total investment will be around 26 billion..."

He explained his investment plan.

Shenlong Automotive Group had invested 20 billion, so he couldn't do less than them. The Chen family had a reputation to maintain. Although Leyu Group could only provide around 12 billion at once, the subsequent additions would make it the same; the total investment had to exceed Shenlong Automotive Group's.

An investment of 26 billion to build the largest domestic and a world-leading cable production line in Wanshun County.

Qin Chuan was very much in favor of this investment.

Cable manufacturing had a bright future. Not to mention the rapidly developing real estate market which required a large amount of civilian cables, other sectors like high-speed rail and subways also had a huge demand for various specifications and models of cables.

The next decade would be ten years of rapid domestic economic development, and the cable industry would flourish. With the ample copper resources from the Jigong Mountain Gold Mine, it would be hard for this enterprise not to make money.

While the two were pleasantly discussing the investment, the situation on Secretary Kang Kewu's end was completely different.

About thirty to forty minutes after Qin Chuan left, the secretary came to report that several major private entrepreneurs in the city, leading a total of over a dozen big bosses, had come to visit.

Hearing this report, Secretary Kang Kewu knew they hadn't come with good intentions.

He could guess even with his toes that they were here to put pressure on him. Normally, they might not dare, but at a time like this, they truly did.

If things escalated, the government would be affected, and if things went poorly, Secretary Kang Kewu himself would be reprimanded by his superiors.

Although he didn't want to see them, he had no choice.

A while later, Secretary Kang Kewu received the dozen or so people in the reception room. As expected, after just a few polite words upon sitting down, they went straight to the point.

Gradually, the pressure began to manifest.

Despite his best efforts to soothe them, they weren't as easily fooled as ordinary people. They were all individuals who had weathered great storms; without a clear answer, they wouldn't back down.

"Secretary Kang, there's no need for other talk. We just want to hear your promise: how long will it take to recover our money?"

Secretary Kang Kewu explained patiently, "Everyone, we are currently going all out. We will think of every possible way and mobilize all resources..."

He was interrupted before he could finish.

"Secretary Kang, stop with these meaningless words. We just want to know a clear deadline—specifically when the money will be recovered, and if it even can be."

Secretary Kang Kewu sighed helplessly. These people were truly difficult to appease.

You ask me when it will be recovered, but how should I know?

To tell you the truth, I have no confidence at all, and I even think the hope is slim. But I can't tell them that. If I did, it would be like poking a hornet's nest.

Just as he was feeling extremely awkward and under great pressure, Secretary Kang Kewu felt his personal cell phone vibrate; someone must be calling.